The Undercover Economist, Tim HarfordWho makes most money from the demand for cappuccinos early in the morning at Waterloo Station? Why is it impossible to get a foot on the property ladder? How does the Mafia make money from laundries when street gangs pushing drugs don't? Who really benefits from immigration? How can China, in just fifty years, go from the world's worst famine to one of the greatest economic revolutions of all time, lifting a million people out of poverty a month?

In this volume

In the sparkling comedy of manners that follows

As Japanese bombs fall on their beloved city

and Ayatsuji’s skillful

and Tobias Wolff

should be just another day in her charmed life

ruthless wanker whose actions are helping turn this world into the shit-hole it's rapidly becoming

The combination of lightness

They aim indeed only at the same amount of conviction as one gets in a gripping good dream

and Tom Stoppard

and more fascinating

using three simple techniques that gave him the edge