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	<title>The Undercover Economist</title>
	
	<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover</link>
	<description>"The Undercover Economist", about economics in everyday life, and "Dear Economist", in which readers' questions are answered, tongue-in-cheek, with the latest economic theory</description>
	<pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:29:30 +0000</pubDate>
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		<title>How a celebrity chef turned into a social scientist</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/how-a-celebrity-chef-turned-into-a-social-scientist/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/how-a-celebrity-chef-turned-into-a-social-scientist/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:21:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Grown up economics]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Undercover]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=1971</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I do not count myself as one of Jamie Oliver’s army of fans, but after looking at the chirpy chef’s antics through the eyes of an economist, I am starting to acquire a grudging respect for him. Yes, the recipe books are all but unreadable, but his “school dinners” campaign has been surprisingly successful.
Oliver’s mission [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Dear Economist: Why a ‘pointless’ tax cut really counted</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/dear-economist-why-a-pointless-tax-cut-really-counted/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/dear-economist-why-a-pointless-tax-cut-really-counted/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:17:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Dear Economist]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Everyday economics]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Grown up economics]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=1946</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When the Chancellor of the Exchequer reduced value-added tax from 17.5 per cent to 15 per cent as an incentive for consumers to spend, there was a widespread view that the reduction was too small to be of use. Now that we are approaching the time when VAT returns to 17.5 per cent, some retailers say [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>My big decision</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/my-big-decision/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/my-big-decision/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:43:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Audio and Video]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Tim elsewhere]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=1921</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Grant Thornton did a photo-shoot and audio interview with me a few months ago about &#8220;My Big Decision&#8221;. I told them I don&#8217;t believe in big decisions, but for all three die-hard Tim Harford fans out there, here&#8217;s the interview.
]]></description>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>A “Dear Undercover Economist” video</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/a-dear-undercover-economist-video/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/a-dear-undercover-economist-video/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:55:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Audio and Video]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Dear Economist]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Everyday economics]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Something different]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=1936</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Marketplace worked with me to produce this video about the economics of signalling in the workplace. They did a fantastic job, and you even get to hear my David Attenborough impression. The video is loosely based on one of the Dear Economist letters. Enjoy!
]]></description>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Scroogenomics</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/scroogenomics/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/scroogenomics/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:48:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Everyday economics]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=1861</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Joel Waldfogel, author of &#8220;The Deadweight Loss of Christmas&#8221;, has a book on the subject, &#8220;Scroogenomics&#8220;. Appropriately, it is a quintessential gift: beautifully presented but under the glorious exterior there&#8217;s not that much there: it&#8217;s about the size of a pocket diary. I&#8217;d guess it&#8217;s 20,000 words, tops&#8230;
I like it, though, having read the first [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/11/scroogenomics/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Dear Economist: Why don’t all waiters get their just desserts?</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/10/dear-economist-why-don%e2%80%99t-all-waiters-get-their-just-desserts/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/10/dear-economist-why-don%e2%80%99t-all-waiters-get-their-just-desserts/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:22:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Dear Economist]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=1901</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Do waiters in mid-priced restaurants work less than those at high-end ones? If not, shouldn’t their tips be the same (in absolute terms)?
Manoj
Dear Manoj,
I can see where you’re coming from: a 10 per cent tip on a £20 meal is less than a 10 per cent tip on a £100 meal. If it’s the same [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/10/dear-economist-why-don%e2%80%99t-all-waiters-get-their-just-desserts/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why feedback can be just so much noise</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/10/why-feedback-can-be-just-so-much-noise/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/10/why-feedback-can-be-just-so-much-noise/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:17:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Undercover]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=1881</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Should managers be giving more frequent performance appraisals? Do “customer feedback” questionnaires serve any useful purpose? The answers are not obvious. A feedback-free environment is not conducive to learning new skills, but then again, feedback itself can be confusing or demoralising.
I suffered from both too little and too much feedback in my last year of [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/10/why-feedback-can-be-just-so-much-noise/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Cass Talks - me on Dear Undercover Economist</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/10/cass-talks-me-on-dear-undercover-economist/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/10/cass-talks-me-on-dear-undercover-economist/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:23:19 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Dear Economist]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Tim elsewhere]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=1871</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Alex Ritson of Cass Business School interviews me about Dear Undercover Economist.
]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/10/cass-talks-me-on-dear-undercover-economist/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Big Questions</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/10/the-big-questions/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/10/the-big-questions/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:43:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>

		<category><![CDATA[Everyday economics]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=1851</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Steven Landsburg, author of the original pop-econ book, the wonderful &#8220;The Armchair Economist&#8221;, is blogging in support of a new book, &#8220;The Big Questions: Tackling the problems of of philosophy with ideas from mathematics, economics and physics&#8221;. I expect he will infuriate everyone because that&#8217;s his style.
The blog is here. The first two posts are [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/10/the-big-questions/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>What I’ve been reading: Why Most Things Fail</title>
		<link>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/10/what-ive-been-reading-why-most-things-fail/</link>
		<comments>http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/2009/10/what-ive-been-reading-why-most-things-fail/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:22:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Tim Harford</dc:creator>
		
		<category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.ft.com/undercover/?p=1676</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This is Paul Ormerod&#8217;s offering from 2005. I&#8217;m catching up. I enjoyed the book very much, although felt the last chapters were by far the best and most original. In them Ormerod studies patterns of biological extinctions and corporate bankruptcies, looks at the mathematical models that best explain them, and concludes that businesses appear to [...]]]></description>
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