Search
Daniel Altman
Chief Economist, Big Think
Daniel Altman is Big Think's Chief Economist and an adjunct faculty member at New York University's Stern School of Business. Daniel wrote economic commentary for The Economist, The New York Times, and The International Herald Tribune before founding North Yard Economics, a non-profit consulting firm serving developing countries, in 2008. In between, he served as an economic advisor in the British government and wrote four books, most recently Outrageous Fortunes: The Twelve Surprising Trends That Will Reshape the Global Economy.
Read Less
1mins
Big Think's chief economist discusses the fledgling Chinese shadow banking system that national leaders want to regularize.
Can we pack the entire human race into Missouri, the “Show Me” state? We might as well try, because when it comes to making important decisions, we humans have a […]
3mins
Economist Daniel Altman acknowledges that the student loan industry in the United States is a disaster. The obvious solution of government intervention by way of forgiveness could make things even […]
2mins
Economist Daniel Altman explains the decentralized virtual currency Bitcoin.
3mins
Big Think’s resident economist Daniel Altman explains why Brazil needs to not only host the World Cup but win it too if it wants to see an economic boost from […]
With the World Cup in Brazil only a day away, the predictions are pouring in from gamblers, analysts, and even investment banks. All of them are trying to guess who […]
When luck is part of the equation, we have to change our approach. Striving to be the best is not always the best strategy, especially if our time is limited.
The next generation will have plenty of gadgets when it grows up, but will it be happier? We need to measure that more carefully.
Daniel Altman: The power of mobility has diminished enormously, because these days it’s much harder to close the gap with the highest earners. Thanks to rising inequality, the same level of mobility just can’t make as much difference anymore.
It’s cheaper to save people’s lives in poor countries than it is in rich countries. So how much is a life worth?
Growth comes first, then more jobs, and then, as higher incomes translate into consumption, more growth… and then more jobs… and then more growth… until the next recession.
The government itself may have lost $300 million for every day that Congress dithered. These statistics certainly sound depressing, but their importance can be hard to grasp without some concrete points of reference.
The bookies can change their odds whenever they want, completely at their own discretion.
If consumers thought about the economics of Restaurant Week, they might prefer to stay away.
Today I went into my closet and realized that I had an old pair of shoes that I no longer wore. The shoes are still pretty serviceable, so I’ve been […]
This week the New York Times published a story about Chinese investors snapping up property in the United States. Prices are rising here, but I don’t think these purchases are […]
Feedback is important to every large organization, and complaints are one of the ways that big companies get feedback from their customers.
A fetish for failure has been sweeping the blogosphere, the Twitterverse, and the broader market for ideas for a couple of years now. It’s ridiculous, and here’s why.