We make so much plastic these days that it takes about eight percent of oil production. And despite its image problem, plastic production is set to double in the next 20 years. Show more

When Gabriel Zucman crunched the numbers, he found a big chunk of global wealth illegally stashed in offshore tax havens - making them a significant feature of the modern economy. Show more

In 1876, John Warne Gates described the new product he hoped to sell as 'lighter than air, stronger than whiskey, cheaper than dust'. Barbed wire wreaked huge changes in America. Show more

Flamboyant American retailer Harry Gordon Selfridge introduced Londoners to a whole new shopping experience, one honed in the department stores of late 19th-century America. Show more

The global supply chain that keeps perishable goods at controlled temperatures has revolutionised the food industry, and other industries too. Show more

The plough did more than create the underpinning of civilisation - with all its benefits and inequities. Different types of plough led to different types of civilisation. Show more

If managers often have a bad reputation, what should we make of those who tell managers how to manage? That question has often been raised over the years, with a sceptical tone. Show more

Property rights for the world's poor could unlock trillions in 'dead capital'. According to one economist, the value of extralegal property globally exceeds 10 trillion dollars. Show more

Do welfare states boost economic growth, or stunt it? It is not an easy question to answer. The evidence suggests it is a wash - the positive and negative effects balance out. Show more

Cuneiform, the earliest known script, was not used for poetry, or to send messages to far-off lands. It was used to create the world's first accounts and written contracts. Show more

From Spacewar to Pokemon Go, video games - aside from becoming a large industry in their own right - have influenced the modern economy in some surprising ways. Show more

Intellectual property reflects an economic trade off. Too generous then good ideas will take too long to copy, adapt and spread; but too stingy and we might not see any good ideas. Show more

How much might global economic output rise if anyone could work anywhere? Some economists have calculated it would double. Show more

Market research marked an early step in a broader shift from a 'producer-led' to a 'consumer-led' approach to business. Show more

A high-tech 'death ray' capable of zapping sheep led to the invention of radar. It was an invention that was crucial in the development of the commercial aviation industry. Show more

The S-bend was a bit of pipe with a curve in it. This simple invention became the missing ingredient to create the flushing toilet - and, with it, public sanitation as we know it. Show more

Renaissance man Luca Pacioli wrote the definitive book on double-entry bookkeeping. It's regarded by many as the most influential work in the history of capitalism. Show more

Tim Harford introduces inventions, ideas and innovations that have helped to create the modern economic world. Paper, invented in China just over 2,000 years ago. Show more

Tim Harford introduces inventions, ideas and innovations that have helped to create the modern economic world. Insurance is fundamental to the way the modern economy works. Show more

Tim Harford introduces inventions, ideas and innovations that have helped to create the modern economic world. Google's algorithm may shape our access to knowledge for generations. Show more