The Economist

I asked for a subscription to The Economist for Christmas this past year. During my first job when I worked in Chicago, I remembered reading some really interesting articles in it. I originally thought that it was some sort of professional trade magazine and that the average person would be lost. I thought I'd share my insights for anyone who's thinking about picking up an issue.

First of all, the magazine title may be a little misleading. It's not ENTIRELY about economics. Many of the articles in it are about politics/government, world affairs, public policy, and science/engineering in addition to economics. So, if you're someone that wants to stay well informed about what's generally going on in the world, it's an excellent source. Most people say, "Why would I want to pay for a subscription to a magazine/journal/newspaper when I have the internet?" True, the internet can be a good source for news (and just about anything else depending upon how scrupulous you are), but a lot of it gets watered down by pop culture and is very Western-centric. What kind of dress some celebrity wore to a awards ceremony will get more coverage than an African country's government being overthrown in a military coup. That's fine. I get it. The internet sites are only showing what people will find entertaining.

For anyone who wants to expand their horizons and learn about what's going on in the world, I'd highly recommend picking up at least one issue. The world does not end at our borders.