In Edible Economics, Ha-Joon Chang is inspired by his passion for food to reflect on why economics matters - or, as he puts it, “a hungry economist explains the world”.

Over five episodes he zooms in on garlic, bananas, okra, rye and chocolate, using the histories behind familiar foods - where they come from, how they are cooked and consumed, what they mean to different cultures - to explore economic theories. Witty and thought-provoking, Professor Chang sets out to challenge ideas about the free-market economy which he believes have been too easily accepted for decades.

Today - chocolate.

As Ha-Joon Chang says, “I have a confession to make. I am an addict. My habit started in the mid-1960s, when I was a toddler (yes, I was precocious). The illegal substance that I first got hooked on was smuggled out of American military bases and sold on the black market in the South Korea of my childhood. It was called M&M’s.

Black market in M&M’s? I am not making it up. At the time in Korea, the importing of foreign goods other than the machines and raw materials directly needed for the country’s industrialization was banned – passenger cars, TVs, biscuits, chocolates, even bananas, you name it. Smuggling in things like cars and TVs from abroad was very difficult, but enterprising Koreans smuggled smaller consumer items on a large scale out of the American military bases that dotted the country at the time (we still have some). Chocolate was one of the most popular items…”

Reflecting on the history of chocolate, Professor Chang reveals that Switzerland is, surprisingly, the most industrialized economy in the world. This leads him to puncture some common myths about “the post-industrialized society”, and to argue that the belief we now live in a post-industrial economy has been extremely harmful, as it has given policy-makers a convenient excuse for not doing anything about the decline of the manufacturing sector.

Professor Ha-Joon Chang teaches economics at SOAS University of London, and is one of the world's leading economists. His books include Economics: The User's Guide, Bad Samaritans and 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism.

Reader Arthur Lee is a British actor of Korean descent who made his international debut on HBO Cinemax’s Strike Back in 2015 and who recently appeared in Doctor Who. Arthur grew up mostly in London, but also spent several years in South Korea advancing his knowledge of Korean language and culture.

Abridged and produced by Elizabeth Burke
Executive Producer: Jo Rowntree
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4 Show less