The Best Christmas Gift Ideas for an Economist

The holidays are coming and Christmas is just around the corner. If you want to avoid last-minute panic-present-buying, you had better get to planning the gifts you'll be giving.

If you have an economist in your life, we're here with some fun ideas to help you find the best economics gifts.

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1. Good Economics for Hard Times: Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems

In this revolutionary book, nobel prize-winning economists Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo show how economics, when done right, can help solve the thorniest social and political problems of our day. From immigration to inequality, slowing growth to accelerating climate change, we have the resources to address the challenges we face but we are so often blinded by ideology.

2. A subscription to The Economist

What better way to help the economist in your life keep up to date with the latest news than a subscription to The Economist, one of the world's top magazines. Covering business, finance, economics, science, technology and the arts, the magazine features in-depth reviews and reports as well as news. Subscriptions can be purchased for digital, print, or both, for whatever format your economist prefers.
UK Digital Edition: here
US/Intl Digital Edition: here

3. Arbitrage or The Informant on DVD

Two Hollywood films related to economics themes, these are fun movies for specialists and everyone else too. Arbitrage stars Richard Gere as a hedge-fund magnate who has been cooking the books, who must go to extraordinary lengths to protect his secret after a chance accident. The Informant stars Matt Damon as a corporate whistle-blower who reports his employer to the FBI for price fixing. Based on a true story, it's a funny and snappy movie about the ethics of big businesses.

4. A digital download of Too Big To Fail

This documentary covers the financial crisis of 2008, based on the book Too Big To Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System--and Themselves. Exploring the crisis from the point of view of the inside players as they try to prevent a global economic meltdown, this informative film will be of interest to everyone involved in finance. Frankly, it is reassuring to remind ourselves that not every person working in finance and big business is a greedy, self-interested maniac...

5. A Marx Mug

It's a statement, for sure, and it looks cool. Rock up to your next seminar on market economics with this Karl Marx mug - Economists of the world unite - you have nothing to lose but your value chains!

6. Monopoly

The classic board game for learning the principles of free markets, property ownership, and corporate monopolies. Playing this game can be a fun and educational experience for all different age groups... but we take no responsibility for any family fights caused by over-zealous players - impassioned arguments are unavoidable and come with the territory. You have been warned!

7. The Economist Desk Diary

A classy, large size, leather-bound desk diary for the new year, perfect for keeping track of all your important appointments and deadlines. Includes an information and map section of economic, statistical and political facts and street plans for a variety of world cities. Particularly good for busybodies, it is the ideal gift for keeping hectic and on-the-go lives in order.

8. Economists Do It With Models t-shirt

For the economist in your life who wants to show off their nerd pride. Who can resist a good graph joke? We know we can't....

9. Can You Outsmart an Economist? - Puzzle Book

Do you know an economist who can't resist a challenge (i.e. probably any economist). Then give them this econ-flavoured puzzle book. 

10. Cash

According to behavioural economists themselves, the very best gift you could give an economist is cold, hard cash. Giving cash guarantees that the recipient can get exactly the gift that they want, thus reducing the deadweight loss of value between the amount spent on something and the amount it is actually worth. It might be the most logical way to give a gift, but it's not really in keeping with the spirit of the season. You'll just have to argue this one out with your economist friends!

Best of luck with your gift buying, and from all of us at INOMICS happy holidays!