The Almighty Dollar [Audio]

Speaker(s): Dharshini David | The dollar is the lifeblood of globalisation: China holds billions in reserve for good reason. Greenbacks, singles, bucks or dead presidents, call them what you will, $1.2 trillion worth are floating around right now – and half the dollars in circulation are actually outside of the USA. But what is really happening as these billions of dollars go around the world every day? By following $1 from a shopping trip in suburban Texas, via China’s Central Bank, Nigerian railroads, the oil fields of Iraq and beyond, The Almighty Dollar answers questions such as: why is China the world’s biggest manufacturer – and the US its biggest customer? Is free trade really a good thing? Why would a nation build a bridge on the other side of the globe? Dharshini David (@DharshiniDavid) is an economist and broadcaster. From 2009 she fronted Sky News’ daily financial coverage and copresented Sky News Tonight. Keyu Jin (@KeyuJin) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Economics and a member of the Centre for Macroeconomics and Centre for Economic Performance. The Department of Economics at LSE (@LSEEcon) is one of the largest economics departments in the world. Its size ensures that all areas of economics are strongly represented in both research and teaching. The Centre For Macroeconomics (@CFMUK) brings together world-class experts to carry out pioneering research on the global economic crisis and to help design policies that alleviate it.