Blog tour: Thought Economics

Welcome to the blog tour for Thought Economics by Vikas Shah.

About the book…

Since 2007, entrepreneur and philanthropist Vikas Shah has been on a mission to interview the people shaping our century. Including conversations with Nobel prizewinners, business leaders, politicians, artists and Olympians, he has been in the privileged position of questioning the minds that matter on the big issues that concern us all. We often talk of war and conflict, the economy, culture, technology and revolutions as if they are something other than us. But all these things are a product of us - of our ideas, our dreams and our fears. We live in fast-moving and extraordinary times, and the changes we're experiencing now, in these first decades of the twenty-first century, feel particularly poignant as decisions are made that will inform our existence for years to come. What started out as a personal interest in the mechanisms that inform our views of the world, and a passion for understanding, has grown into a phenomenal compilation of once-in-a-lifetime conversations. In this incredible collection, Shah shares some of his most emotive and insightful interviews to date.

About the author...

Vikas Shah MBE is a serial entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is Visiting Professor of Entrepreneurship at MIT Sloan (The Lisbon MBA), Honorary Professor of Business at The Alliance Business School, University of Manchester and an Honorary Industry Fellow at the University of Salford Business School.

Vikas started his first technology business aged just fourteen, and is currently CEO of Swiscot Group (a diversified international trading business). He is a venture investor in fast-growing technology businesses internationally and is a non-executive director and advisor to numerous organizations. Vikas was awarded an MBE for Services to Business and the Economy in Her Majesty the Queen’s 2017 New Year’s Honours List.

About Thought Econimics…

Thought Economics was founded by Vikas Shah MBE in 2007, and has been recognized globally for the quality of its editorial content, having been named as an official honoree at the 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2016 Webby Awards (run by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences) for Best Writing (Editorial) alongside The New York Times, the BBC, the Paris Review, Vanity Fair, the Financial Times and National Geographic.

The Thought Economics website includes interviews on a diverse range of topics including: business and economics, culture, society and the arts, politics and policy, science and technology.

My impressions...

How did this book end up in my hands? I gratefully received a free copy of the book from the publisher in order to join this blog tour.

Was it a page-turner? This book is for people who are thirsty for open-mindedness, inspiration and a different perspective. You can gulp it down in one sitting or you can sip it. Or you can do both. For the sake of this tour, I did read it cover to cover, but I fully intend on reading it again, pausing to take it all in. I can see this being perfect as a starting point for a moment of daily reflection.

Did the book meet my expectations? The topics covered in these interviews are neatly organised and – for my infinite joy – indexed. The questions are interesting and the answers even more so. Not always in agreement – with each other or with my own opinions – but this is the beauty of it. This book opens up new perspectives. It doesn’t set out to teach (or preach) but to make us think. I loved it and I also enjoyed both meeting people I already admire and getting to know others who I didn’t know or who I knew only by name. This is an incredible collection of interviews.

Three words to describe it. Inspiring. Actual. Inquisitive.

Do I like the cover? Yes, it’s bold and striking, just like the concept behind Thought Economics.

Have I read any other books by the same author? No, and I wasn’t aware of the Thought Economics website either, which has now been added to my favourites.