Review of:http://econompicdata.blogspot.com/
PROS: A site that explains economics with pretty graphs, actual english, and a good sense of humor.
CONS: Can get a bit too "economist-like". Subjects chosen can be erratic.
SUMMARY: A colorful, effective site on economic issues that makes economics a bit easier to learn and understand.
I do love a good econoblog. This is not necessarily because they're easy to understand – they often art – I just value the information I get. The problem of course is communicating this to other people less inclined to analyze these things in depth or without the background to understand what the people at econoblogs are TALKING about.
Econompicdata is a refreshing change. With the subheader "Darn Nice Economic Eye Candy" this is a blog that mixes good explanations and good graphs to discuss a variety of issues in a bite-sized way.
Econompicdata's blogger, Jake, picks whatever seems to come to mind or be interesting and discusses it with one or more helpful graphs. YOu can see info on plane crashes, the housing market,oil, liquidity, and more. The graphs help you understand what's going on – and Jake's explanations usually (but not always) are easy for non-economics to understand or at least get a grip on the issue.
The blog, the graphics, and the writing are refreshingly clear and easy to read. No clutter, no fuss, no mess, just the subject, the information, and the analysis so you can get an idea of what's going on.
If there's one real flaw it's that you're never sure what's going to get posted here, so unless you're deeply into economics, you can be pretty sure not all of it is going to be of interest to you. It's a testimony to Jake's depth that he covers so much, but be aware that the blog isn't always going to be up your alley.
I strongly recommend putting this into your blogfeed of business and economic information. You can be pretty sure at some point something of use to you is going to pop up – and be understandable to you.
– Steven Savage
