60-Second Adventures in Economics - for iPad/Mac/PC

Economist, Adam Smith, used the term The Invisible Hand to describe the self-regulating nature of the market place - a core concept for so-called free-marketeers.

The Paradox of Thrift suggests that while it may be wise for an individual to save money when income is low and job prospects are precarious, it could be collectively disastrous if everyone is thrifty together.

Bill Phillips' curve has historically been described as an inverse relationship between the rate of unemployment and the rate of wage (and therefore price) inflation - but since his analysis became popular the relationship has changed.

David Ricardo's famous economic model, predicts that if there are just two countries and two products both can be better off if they specialise and trade in the thing they’re relatively best at.

The Impossible Trinity or 'trilemma' suggests that it is impossible for a country to maintain a fixed exchange rate, free capital movement and an independent monetary policy at one and the same time.

Without a belief in rational behaviour, it’s hard to design an economic policy with predictable results. In practice, people's errors or misinformed choices can frustrate policy design.