In this SPE Book Review podcast, Arno Hantzsche, senior economist in the public sector and SPE member, interviewed Ed Conway, a journalist, economic expert and writer.

They discussed Ed’s book ‘Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future’. The book is motivated by the fact that living in a services dominated economy, we very much take for granted the important raw materials that go into producing the gadgets, buildings and infrastructure that surround us. Ed told Arno about his visits to the origins of some of these key materials, like Chile’s Chuquicamata copper mine - one of the biggest man-made canyons. He mapped out the journey that materials embark on through highly complex, global production networks, constantly changing shape and location, until they reach their final use. The conversation then turned to lessons for the economics profession which needs to improve its understanding of global supply chains and their interaction with international trade policy. And finally, the discussants provided an outlook on the challenges ahead: ensuring access to the products and technologies required to tackle climate change and bolster security and defence policy in a world with trade and geopolitical tensions.

Ed Conway is the Economics and Data Editor of Sky News and a columnist for The Times and Sunday Times. He regularly covers national and international economic events and financial market developments. Ed was previously an economics correspondent for the Daily Mail and Economics Editor of the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph newspapers. He is the author of ‘50 Economics Ideas You Really Need to Know’, ‘The Summit: The Biggest Battle of the Second World War - Fought Behind Closed Doors’ and ‘Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future’. ‘Material World’ was the Sunday Times bestseller, the Radio 4 Book of the Week and shortlisted for the Financial Times Business Book of the Year 2023 and the British Academy Book Prize 2024.

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