CRI听力:Stand Up Economist in China - It's No Joke!

A lecture at Beijing's University of International Business and Economics. But this teacher has an unusual hobby.

In the daytime he studies economic theory. In the evening he works on his stand-up routine.
 
Yoram says he became a comic by accident.

"When I was in graduate school. I wrote a parody of an economics textbook, just to kind of blow off steam and one thing led to another and it got published in a science humour journal called the Annals of Improbably Research."

Yoram's material is full of academic references. He's interested in how economic theory can be used to help the environment. And he's particularly keen on the idea of taxing carbon emissions. He says this could work in China.

"By using something like a carbon tax or a tax on air pollution in China then, not only do you generate revenue that you can use to provide social services or reduce existing taxes, but you also clean up pollution and reduce the resulting health impacts and other impacts on society that weigh very heavily here in China."

Yoram says comedy can explain ideas like this, which are rarely heard outside academia.

"Academics can and do argue about things all the time but on issues like climate change you have to engage the general public and the way you're going to engage the general public is, for me at least, is by doing comedy, not by doing the 500th cost benefit analysis of climate change."

But the most important test of any comedian is audience reaction.

"Not being an economics major, some concepts were difficult, but he's a very funny man."

"He just seems to be able to connect with what's going on in the world and make it funny."

Yoram's humour is not only found on stage. He recently finished the second volume of his book, the Cartoon Introduction to Economics, due for release next year.

For CRI, I'm Dominic Swire.