Day 6

Sex, drugs and GDP

Britain has begun including prostitution and the trade in illicit drugs in its GDP figures. According to estimates by the Office of National Statistics, these off-the-books activities are worth $18.1-billion. To help us understand how governments calculate off-the-books earnings, we're joined by BBC Radio 4 host and Financial Times columnist Tim Harford.

Britain has begun including prostitution and the trade in illicit drugs in its GDP figures. According to estimates by the Office of National Statistics, these off-the-books activities are worth $18.1-billion. To help us understand how governments calculate off-the-books earnings, we're joined by BBC Radio 4 host and Financial Times columnist Tim Harford. His latest book is The Undercover Economist Strikes Back.