“Its typically Norwegian to be good” is the somewhat awkward direct translation of a quote from Gro Harlem Brundtland, the former Norwegian prime minister. ‘Good’ in this case should be read in the same way as ‘being good at something’ rather than being especially moral.[1] Brundtland originally made this remark in her 1992 New Year’s Eve speech, when comparing Norwegian international sporting achievements with her ambitions for Norwegian businesses struggling with the ongoing recession. It has since become a piece of

Stereotypes fascinate me: their origin, their motives, their many exceptions and the strong emotions they elicit. Let's embrace some controversy and dive straight into a few. Consider stereotypes about men having better spatial awareness or being better drivers than women. It's easy to find references either disproving or supporting these old chestnuts. Women have lower car insurance premiums than men, but there's an irrefutable body of anecdotal evidence of ladies asking random men for help in parking their car (it's

I often wonder why people vote in the way they do. Are they voting in what they perceive to be their own best interests, or in the wider interests of society as a whole? Indeed, why do we vote at all? Is democracy the best form of government? On the question of why we vote in the way we do, an anonymous straw poll of Fathom employees gave the results below. The majority vote for the party that they believe

I recently travelled to Seoul to visit a friend who is doing her master’s there. The trip was a good mix of learning about South Korean history and culture through visiting temples and museums, and consuming barbecue (and a fair amount of soju, a rice spirit rather like vodka). One of the most interesting parts of my stay was comparing what it’s like being in your 20s there and in the UK. I was explaining the crazy rental market in

My dad occasionally likes to gift me books that serve a double purpose. So when he spotted one that covered both my work and my passion for cooking, he thought, ‘Bingo!’ And so to Edible Economics: The World in 17 Dishes, where author Ha-Joon Chang, a professor at SOAS University of London, aims to make economic concepts more digestible by serving them up alongside stories about… food! To give you a flavour of what’s covered in the book, in the

After having managed to pull off a very successful year at Fathom Consulting, I came to the conclusion that I deserved to treat myself to a nice watch that could complement my ‘out of consensus’ dress style. This experience has been much more interesting than I could possibly have imagined, and I feel an overwhelming urge to share it with you today. Are you ready? If you had asked me around a year ago to list you the best watch

‘Christmas in the city and Easter in the village’ is the most probable response from a middle-aged Greek when asked about their plans for Easter (or indeed Christmas). It may seem boring to have the same plan year in, year out, but the truth of the matter is that you never change a winning combination. Almost all Greeks of my generation feel a sweet melancholy and nostalgia for our childhood Easters in the village. Easter in the village is a

Seeing the fearless 16-year-old Luke ‘the Nuke’ Littler reach the Darts World Championship final earlier this year reminded me of my own darts performance under pressure. It wasn’t quite the same, I guess. For one thing, he wasn’t dressed as a cowboy on an inflatable horse. Littler coped extremely well under pressure, but not all of us do. Somewhat different to the World Championship final, my performance was in an exhibition darts[1] match in front of a couple of hundred

As a tired father of two I thought it might be fun to calculate a monetary value that could convince me to try to have a third child (or, more accurately, convince me to attempt to convince my wife to try). The figure: £15,669,144,525. 4 years of nursery: £105,600 (£2200 per month x 48) 18 years of clothes: £27,000 (£1500 per year x 18 – conservative: a pair of Nikes can cost £200!) Pram: £1,159 (Stokke Xplory X pushchair) Bigger

With eight months until election day, Donald Trump is favourite to be the next US president. A lot can change, but current polls suggest voters remain upset with Joe Biden’s handling of the economy and concerned by his age. What would a second Trump term bring? Fathom’s base case is that some of his more outlandish rhetoric won’t get turned into reality, consistent with a scenario we have previously termed ‘Trump Lite’. However, it would be irresponsible to ignore his