David Ricardo podcast

This is from Economics in Ten podcast, season one, episode four. Ricardo gave us two of the most important ideas in the subject: comparative advantage (the theoretical foundation for the case for free trade) and the labour theory of value (which would later heavily influence Marx). Pete and Gav explain comparative advantage clearly, which is useful because students often find it counterintuitive. There’s also good context on the Corn Laws controversy, which links comparative advantage to real political economy. Directly relevant to the international economics sections of the spec: comparative advantage is core content, and this episode works well alongside or after teaching that topic.  Listen here