Assembly chain for models of Tiguan and Touran vehicles. Plant operated by Auto 5000 Gmbh, a subsidiary of Volkswagen. City of Wolfsbourg, Lower Saxony in Germany, 15 February 2008. © Jose Giribas/ROPI-REA
The economic players
The economy works thanks to each and every one of us, as consumers and workers, but also when we decide what to study, where to live and how to save our money.
This initial sequence gets you personally involved since you are all players who participate in multiple ways in the surrounding economy while remaining part of a system where the players – households, companies, the state and banks – continually interact.
This sequence also provides an overview of the various economic theories which have emerged since the late 18th century and which change with time as well as the debates raging in society. Finally, it raises the question of this discipline which has ambitions to be a science although the scientific approach is hampered by the difficulty of conducting experiments.
To discover online
Talking economics
In the context of six pretend radio programmes, each of these six audio clips tackles a specific topic: rationality, confidence, money, regulation, business, globalisation, while referring to the principles currents of economic thinking.
Each economist quoted is the subject of a biography which summarises their career and the purpose of their work.
