Economist Tim Harford: Long-shots versus marginal gains

Tim Harford has embarked on a new series telling an assembled audience short stories about fascinating people and ideas in economics.

The Financial Times' "Undercover Economist" and presenter of Radio 4's "More or Less" weaves together economic ideas with remarkable personal histories in some unusual locations.

At a shop on Regent Street in London, Tim turns his attention to ideas about heated hot pants and knockout mice.

We hear the moving story of Nobel Prize winner, Mario Capecchi, whose struggle to get funding for his experiments tell us much about where new ideas come from, and how to foster them.

Pop-Up Economics is broadcast on BBC Radio 4 You can listen again online by downloading the podcast.