Prof. Diane Coyle

Prof. Diane Coyle (Ph.D., Harvard University) is the Bennett Professor of Public Policy at the University of Cambridge. Her research focuses on competition analysis and the economics of new technologies and globalization. She is the author of numerous books, most recently GDP: A Bried but Affectionate History (Princeton University Press). She blogs at The Enlightened Economist. 




Many people I have interviewed have said that economics is much more statistics-based than it used to be. Do you think that's true, and if so, what are the tradeoffs of this trend?

Yes, it is more data-based, compared with previous decades. There is more data available - and ever more coming along with 'big data' - and the computer power and techniques to handle it as well. Relatively little economics is now theory-only. There has been some research into what kind of articles get published in the academic journals, and these show a clear trend toward more applied work. Statistics are an economist's window on the world.

Apart from being good at math, what is the most important piece of advice you can offer to an aspiring economist?

Math is important, but I would recommend making sure you keep a breadth of vision because economics is a social science. So read in another area as well - history would be my top choice, but it could be politics, anthropology, one of the natural sciences...