How to Teach Economics to Your Dog: A Quirky Introduction

by Rebecca Campbell, Anthony McGowan

A fun take on some of the biggest questions in economics, made accessible for non-experts (and dogs)

Monty is a dog, not a financial genius, but economics still shapes his everyday life.

Over the course of seventeen walks, Dr Rebecca Campbell chews over economic concepts and investigates how they apply to our lives – people and mutts alike. There are no graphs, no charts (Monty can’t read them) and definitely no calculus!

How to Teach Economics to Your Dog tackles the knotty question of what economics actually is. Is it a mathematical science like physics? Or a moral and philosophical investigation of how societies should manage scarce resources?

Along the way we meet some of the great thinkers from Adam Smith to Thomas Piketty, and ponder questions such as: What on earth does quantitative easing mean? And why are some countries so much richer than others?

Genres: Economics, Nonfiction, Politics, Business, Finance, Money

320 pages, Paperback

Published November 14, 2023

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Saksham · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was funny, informative and easy to follow. I would definitely reccomend it.

My only gripe would be that in the discussion on why some countries have developed less than others there was no mention of the effect of imperialism. Both sides can't enter into an agreement freely where one has more firepower than the other. I appreciate the desire to keep this focused on economic theory but this was a fairly glaring omission to make if you are going to discuss global inequality.

[Corem Hind · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic introduction to economics! as a A level economics student it works great as a lighter and more enjoyable way to revise.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes it is me. I am the dog.

My background of economics is basically zilch and this book was a great primer into how the markets work. Think Oxford's A Very Short Introduction series, but entertaining dog version. The author scaffolds all the concepts clearly and pre-empts follow up questions the reader might have, making for a nicely conversational tone. I found it interesting how she also is transparent about her (leftish) position on certain economic theories and explains why - it helps make the reader have a more informed decision on what kind of stance they'd want to eventually form.

[Alice Vandommele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it a genuinely easy to understamd and well written primer, and I appreciated that it had a decently evenhanded tone

[Hannah L M · Rating 5 out of 5]

never took economics in high school/college and I feel like I learned so much!! really enjoy the history, theorists, case studies and humanist reminder about environmental impacts, human costs and short-term losses vs. long-term gains.

answers questions like: importance of markets, what drove industries, how to regulate the economy, and what went right and wrong in economic history

[Ottavia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could be nice if you know nothing about economics, otherwise pretty easy

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Straightforward, delightful interactions between human and dog on basic economic principles with examples primarily from the US and Europe.

[Farhanazya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so dope! I learned so much on this book! The way the author described all aspects of economic is so detail aaaaa

[Aymeric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! You want to refresh your knowledge in economics? Or help your teenage child to make sense of what he is learning at school? Read this book!
So nicely written and refreshing with the right pinch of British humour. I will read it again in case I need to review fiscal and monetary policies ;)

[Nicolas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read a few introductions to economics but this is the only one I've enjoyed!

It was a bit difficult to get used to the format at first, but after that, Monty the cute dog was asking all the questions I would have wanted to ask but wouldn't dare to.

I really enjoyed the fact that the author could defend things such as globalisation and the free market, while acknowledging the problems they can cause (for example, the human cost in a community when factories are shut down). This is something that I've heard economists simply dismiss in the name of progress (workers just have to skill up and find another job!) This author really tries to cover all the different angles for each topic.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a detailed read introducing the reader to the world of economics. For those who haven't approached the subject before, this book allows them to dip their toes in, and the intriguing concepts drag can one in. Economics is a fascinating subject, and this book explains some of its core concepts and terms clearly while adding concise examples and simple anecdotes. I would recommend this book to those who want to get into economics or is interested in the subject

[E Cara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a dog person, and I found it amazing and funny! I was looking for a book for dummies, but this is much better than expected. Very useful insights around the every day economics I am exposed to.

[Jun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, but only works up to about a middle school student's level of comprehension. There are better works for older folks.

[Roman Bazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book covers the basics, and sometimes you can find something new even in the fundamental material. The comical detours are a nice addition.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I am not a dog person, I did find the format fun -- each basic microecon or macroecon lesson is framed as a walk on which she's taking her dog Monty to converse about these topics. Often Monty's input is a minor joke about food or bones, or just asking her to define a jargon term, but occasionally he gets off some edgy lines, e.g., "being laughed at by a dachsund is like being called stupid by a boxer" (p. 260) (ooh, snap!)

If, like Monty (and me) you are interested in this stuff but generally can't hang in there with the math needed for advanced econ courses, a lot of these all-verbal lessons will be familiar. However, painless refreshers can be fun, and some of the history I was only vaguely familiar with (quick, what did David Ricardo have to say on comparative advantage and implications for free trade? don't check wikipedia first), and same for more contemporary international perspectives (e.g., interesting discussion of how/why Denmark's generous unemployment benefits nevertheless cost the gov't. relatively little -- pp. 191-192).

I suppose to use it as a textbook a teacher would have to supplement quite a bit with homework drilling down on the quantitative material that is missing, but as a supplementary reading or something for a general education course for non-majors it might work well.

[E.J. J Doble · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book about the principles and functions of economics, which are very easy for the lay-economist to digest. It focused on very important topics, using real world examples while remaining largely a-political, and using the dog as a platform to investigate each subject was very nicely done. Nothing felt particularly overwhelming, which is a common trait of 'introductory' economics books. This book is, overall a must for people wanting to engage in the crazy world of money and markets.

However, my main gripe with the book - and the reason for dropping a star - is how the jargon was structured. In a lot of cases, a lot of heavy economic terminology was used, and then explained after using less-heavy words without then mentioning the main terminology again. It was frustrating to see explanations laid out quite well - although the dog-related metaphors sometimes proved more confusing than helpful - only to then have to refer back to the term they were describing in the first place. Explaining concepts, and THEN giving the name of them would have probably been easier - that, and maybe a rear glossary.

But, overall I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would consider reading the author's other "how to explain to your dog" books too because of it.

[Shalini · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is for me. My knowledge and interest in the subject perfectly matches that of the author’s mutt, Monty. It took me three years to finally pick up the book, but I must admit that Campbell does an excellent job of teaching while sustaining the reader’s interest.
So what did I learn? A history of economics (largely Western—though I learned the Chinese invented paper money), markets and their regulation, human behaviour, firms, inequality (efficiency versus fairness, distributive justice, sufficientarianism, Okun’s leaky bucket), financial markets, and government policy (quantitative easing and more). I also learned that economists are adept at sitting on the fence while throwing out concepts.
My personal takeaway is this: if time is my scarcest resource, I need to reconsider how I value it—what is essential versus what is a luxury—and be more deliberate about my investments and returns. In short: more birding!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really struggled with the amount of time wasted reading the silly conversations with the dog which I found painfully childish. Almost gave up a few chapters in it was so grating.

That said, once I glazing over most of the dog commentary and the true content of the book got going, I found it to be highly informative and very well explained in a succinct format for someone without an educational background in economics.

Without Monty this would be a solid 5 star review from me, but I hated that element despite being a dog person!

[Sigurður Ármann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jafnvel menn geta lært heilmikið um hagfræði af þessari bók! Hundurinn, Monty, er spurull og kemur oft með góðar athugasemdir á gönguferðum um Hampstead Heath og nágrenni. Þessi hundur kann heilmikið fyrir sér í heimspeki, sbr. bókina How to teach philosophy to your dog.

Síðasta bókin á árinu, rétt svo náði takmarkinu. Hitt er að Goodreads þekkir ekki allar bækur sem ég hef lesið á árinu. T.d. Dauðinn eftir Björn Þorláksson og Laxá. Lífríki og saga mannlífs og veiða. Sú síðari alveg 5stjörnu, hin góð 4ra stjörnu.

70 2025!

[Elizabeth Mosley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as part of Econiful's book club for economics educators. It's a good survey of micro and macroeconomics, all explained in easy-to-understand terms (because it's being explained to a dog.) Though I could have done without the whole dog shtick, I learned some things and Campbell definitely has a felicity for making complex economic concepts readily accessible to anyone with a general interest in learning more about how economics works.

[Zi Jun · Rating 5 out of 5]

A witty easy to understand take on economics with a touch of humor to engage a rather notoriously unexciting topic. Giving you just enough to understand commonly heard economic terms found in the local news. Monty did well to be the willing victim sarcastically to create a unique engaging way to get people to learn economics from GDP to cryptocurrencies. This book probably doesn't hit as hard if the reader is not a dog lover or does not live in the UK. Still strongly recommended.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

"A quirky introduction to economics" (on the front cover) is a good description of this book which is attempting to get a person with a reasonable interest in the subject more knowledgeable. The use of Monty the dog as a way to both summarise and challenge the narrator is clever as well as being humourous in parts. Enjoyable, interesting and informative.

[TAKUYA YAMAZAKI · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommended for anyone who wants a non-complex and fun introduction to economics. This book isn't a textbook but a series of conversations between an economist and her dog. In addition to the simplest explanations on economics, this book offers many entertaining moments that I couldn't stop turning pages.

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked it. Most of the things are very neatly explained which and makes it a lot easier to understand and get into economics and the whole "why can't we just print more money". I did not expect to get emotional but a sweet curveball it was
as a non expert but enjoyer of science, I think its a good intro

[Rachael O'Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great introduction, especially to macroeconomics. I definitely have a better understanding of how banks and government policies work and where some financial problems come from. This gave me a lot to think about and to look further into!

[Matas Roda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quirky and fun introduction to economics. Simple to understand, but combines some elements of storytelling/fiction with the dog. Can get a bit abstract at times, but that's the point of economics.

Monty is my favourite character. I think I should read the book on philosophy next.

[Michael Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good overall. The book is broken down into walks / chapters that's are really good at explaining topics. the book also follows a great flow start at the beginning and bringing in more complex topics as it goes.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great entry-level study of the basics of economics but with levity and light dog-related humour that makes it much more entertaining than a textbook!

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐

[Christal · Rating 5 out of 5]

"dogs are smarter than humans"