The invisible hand: Capitalism's misunderstood metaphor

21/03/2023 20 min Temporada 4 Episodio 7
The invisible hand: Capitalism's misunderstood metaphor

Listen "The invisible hand: Capitalism's misunderstood metaphor"

Episode Synopsis

What drives the global economy? Any student of economics is likely to mention the “invisible hand”—the collective self-interest that acts as the market’s guiding force in a more powerful and beneficial way than government intervention can. Legendary 18th century Scottish philosopher Adam Smith coined the usage of this term, and one major economics textbook popularized it. But a closer look at context suggests Smith was saying something else entirely.
Presented by EY
Episode art by Vicky Leta