Noreena Hertz On Relying Too Much On Experts

We make important decisions every day -- and we often rely on experts to help us decide. But, says economist Noreena Hertz, relying too much on experts can be limiting and even dangerous.

She calls for us to start democratizing expertise -- to listen not only to "surgeons and CEOs, but also to shop staff."

Noreena Hertz looks at global culture -- financial and otherwise -- using an approach that combines traditional economic analysis with foreign policy trends, psychology, behavioural economics, anthropology, history and sociology.

For more than two decades, Noreena Hertz’s economic predictions have been accurate and ahead of the curve.

In her recent book "The Silent Takeover," Hertz predicted that unregulated markets and massive financial institutions would have serious global consequences while her 2005 book "IOU: The Debt Threat" predicted the 2008 financial crisis.

An influential economist on the international stage, Hertz also played an influential role in the development of (RED), an innovative commercial model to raise money for people with AIDS in Africa, having inspired Bono (co-founder of the project) with her writings.

Her work is considered to provide a much needed blueprint for rethinking economics and corporate strategy.

She is the Duisenberg Professor of Globalization, Sustainability and Finance based at Duisenberg School of Finance, RSM, Erasmus University and University of Cambridge. She is also a Fellow of University College London.

Susan notes: Thanks to TED for making TED Talks downloadable and embeddable, and for providing the biographical information that goes along with them.