Good economists always stay updated on what’s going on in the world. Answering economic questions often requires a deep knowledge of international issues, markets, political issues, cultural differences, and general freak occurrences. Here are a few places to get your news and stay updated on world of economics:


News — some imperfect substitutes

  • Financial Times: BU has a group subscription to FT, so you can set up an account and subscribe for free. This is the most even-handed and consistent place to get your news, so that’s a good deal.
  • Wall Street Journal: Articles are behind a paywall, but you can access all editions for free via BU’s ProQuest proxy databases.
  • Council on Foreign Relations‘ daily news briefing: Scroll to the bottom of the homepage and you’ll find a form to request daily briefings via email.
  • The Economist: Articles are behind a paywall
  • Gallup: Data-driven news

Blogs — where economists battle out their ideas on day-to-day issues and offer advice to aspiring economists

Podcasts — because they’re interesting and you have nothing better to listen to

  • NPR’s Planet Money — 20-minute audio documentaries on popular economics
  • Russ Roberts’ EconTalk — in-depth interviews with some of the world’s most prolific academic economists
  • FT’s Alphachat — conversational podcast on business and economics, from policy issues to market debates
  • Freakonomics Radio