If you’re aspiring to study economics at Oxford or Cambridge, you will be expected to demonstrate genuine passion for the subject during your application. Admissions tutors want to see that your interest goes beyond what is covered in the classroom and the standard A-Level syllabus. One of the most effective ways to showcase this is through evidence of good-quality wider reading.
Engaging with a variety of high-quality economic texts, articles, and media not only deepens your understanding but also gives you material to discuss during your application – in your personal statement and interview – and later on, with tutors and peers. Wider reading helps you form your own opinions and develop the kind of academic thinking and reasoning that Oxbridge looks for in its students.
This guide walks you through the best economics books to read if you’re preparing for Oxbridge along with wider reading resources to keep you up to date with the latest developments in the field. Plus, useful expert tips for making the process of wider reading less overwhelming and more impactful.
Economics Wider Reading
Applicants to Oxbridge are not necessarily expected to have studied economics at school or memorised complex economic theories – however, they should be able to demonstrate strong passion for studying the subject along with the ability to think critically through real-world economic issues. The latter is a particularly useful skill to have for your interview, where you might be presented with open-ended questions like:
“You’ve mentioned globalisation in your personal statement, how would you define it, and what would you say the benefits of it might be to ordinary people?”
Wider reading is one of the best ways to demonstrate this. Importantly, it doesn’t just mean working your way through textbooks. The most successful applicants we’ve worked with at UniAdmissions engage with a broad mix of resources – from influential books and academic journals to high-quality magazines, podcasts, documentaries, blogs, and even debates. Exploring economics through different formats helps you see how theory connects to practice, and gives you a richer perspective to draw on in your personal statement and interview.
When mentioning wider reading in your personal statement, make sure it’s directly relevant to the course you’re applying for. Always check the admissions criteria for your chosen degree to see what qualities the university is looking for. For instance, Oxford highlights a strong interest in business organisation as a key requirement for its Economics degree – so referencing wider reading around this topic can make your statement stand out.
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How To Start Wider Reading for Economics?
With so much information available, knowing where to begin can feel overwhelming. The key is not always to read everything, but to read strategically – choosing high-quality resources that deepen your understanding and spark your interest. Wider reading should feel purposeful, not like a box-ticking exercise.
Here are some practical steps to help you get started:
1. Ask The Experts
Start by seeking recommendations from the experts – teachers, current students, or official university reading lists. Oxford and Cambridge universities publish suggested economics reading lists and guides for applicants – these are excellent starting points and help you focus on material that admissions tutors value.
2. Tailor Your Reading List
While you should aim to read as much as possible, don’t try to cover everything at once. Instead, pick a few books, articles, or podcasts that genuinely interest you. Reading one text thoroughly and thinking deeply about it is far more effective than skimming a dozen.
If you’re not sure where to start, go small: choose a short book, an essay, or even a well-regarded podcast episode. As you go, use references, bibliographies, or even reader reviews on platforms like Goodreads to discover further ideas. That way, your list grows naturally around your interests.
When finalising your choices, make sure they align with your college’s key criteria and include resources that can help you improve in those areas.
3. Reflect On What You Read
Reflection is where wider reading becomes truly powerful. After reading the book, ask yourself: What was the author’s main argument? What did I learn? Do I agree or disagree? How does this connect to what I already know?
Keep a simple journal of your reading – nothing too complicated, just a quick note of the material, the date, and your key takeaways. Not only will this help you remember what you’ve read, but it also provides material you can draw on confidently across different stages of your application.
Oxbridge Economics Reading Lists
Both Oxford and Cambridge publish official reading lists for their economics courses online. These are an excellent – and essential – starting point. Some individual colleges also provide their own lists, so it’s worth checking those too. For example, Balliol College has its own economics reading list, with a stronger emphasis on mathematics.
Oxford Economics Reading List
- Harford, T. (2005), The Undercover Economist, Little, Brown.
- Smith, D. (2003), Free Lunch: Easily Digestible Economics, Profile Books.
- Krugman, P. (1998), The Accidental Theorist, Norton.
- Binmore, K. (2007), Game Theory: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press.
- Dasgupta, P. (2007), Economics: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press.
- Yueh, L. (2018), The Great Economists: How Their Ideas Can Help Us Today, Penguin.
- Blastland, M. and Dilnot, A. (2007), The Tiger that Isn’t: Seeing through a World of Numbers, Profile Books.
- Backhouse, R.E. (2002), The Penguin History of Economics, Penguin.
- Mell, A. and Walker, O. (2014), The Rough Guide to Economics, Penguin.
Below is a selection of economics blogs and podcasts included in Oxford’s wider reading list:
Cambridge Economics Reading List
General Reading:
- Dasgupta, P (2007), Economics: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press.
- Rodrik, D (2015), Economics Rules: Why Economics Works, When It Fails, and How To Tell The Difference, Oxford University Press.
- Allen, R C (2009), The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective, Cambridge.
- Lind, D, W Marchal and R Mason, Statistical Techniques in Business and Economics, McGraw-Hill.
- Mokyr, J (2016), A Culture of Growth: the Origins of the Modern Economy, Princeton.
Advanced Reading:
- Varian, H., and M. Melitz (2024), Intermediate Microeconomics, Norton.
- Jones, C (2020), Macroeconomics, International edition.
- Mankiw, N G and M P Taylor (2014), Macroeconomics, European Edition.
- Sydsaeter, K and P Hammond, Essential Mathematics for Economic Analysis, Prentice Hall.
- Pemberton, M and N Rau, Mathematics for Economists, Manchester University Press [more advanced, for those with A-level Further Math].
- Mann, P S, Introductory Statistics, Wiley.
- Ross, S M, Introductory Statistics, Academic Press.
- Larsen, R J and M L Marx, An Introduction to Mathematical Statistics and its Applications, Pearson [more advanced, for those with A-level Further Math].
- Goldberger, A, Introductory Econometrics, Harvard University Press.
- Pindyck, R and D Rubinfeld, Econometric Models and Economic Forecasts, McGraw-Hill.
- Acemoglu, D. and J. Robinson (2013), Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty, Profile Books.
- Landes, D (1998), The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor, Norton.
- North, D (1990), Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance, Cambridge University Press.
- Kavanagh, D and P Morris (1994), Consensus Politics from Attlee to Major, Blackwell.
- Marsh, D and R A W Rhodes (1992), Implementing Thatcherite Policies: Audit of an Era, Open University Press.
- Faucher-King, F and P Le Gales (2010), The New Labour Experiment Change and Reform Under Blair and Brown, Stanford University Press.
- Davies, H (2010), The financial crisis: who is to blame?, Polity Press.
- Stiglitz, J et al. (1989), The Economic Role of the State, Blackwell.
- Stiglitz, J and J Rosengard (2015), Economics of the Public Sector, Norton.
- Floud, R, J Humphries and P Johnson (2015), Cambridge Economic History of Modern Britain, 2 volumes.
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UniAdmissions’ Wider Reading List for Economics
When it comes to preparing for Oxbridge Economics, variety often matters as much as quality. Wider reading doesn’t just show that you’ve gone beyond the available reading lists – it proves that you can explore your subject with an open mind through different sources and perspectives.
While books remain the backbone of wider reading, there are additional resources you can utilise, including our top recommendations from top universities and our expert tutors below:
Books
This is our list of selected books for those who want to study economics at university:
- Dixit, A.K. and Nalebuff, B.J. (1993), Thinking strategically: The competitive edge in business, politics, and everyday life, W.W. Norton.
- Harford, T. (2005), The Undercover Economist, Little, Brown.
- Blinder, A.S. (2013), After the music stopped: The financial crisis, the response, and the work ahead, Penguin Press.
- Stiglitz, J.E. (2002), Globalization and its discontents, W.W. Norton.
- Acemoglu, D. and Robinson, J.A. (2012), Why nations fail: The origins of power, prosperity, and poverty, Profile Books.
- Kahneman, D. (2011), Thinking, fast and slow, Penguin.
- Raworth, K. (2017), Doughnut economics: Seven ways to think like a 21st-century economist, Random House Business.
- Hargreaves, D. (2018), Are chief executives overpaid?, Polity Press.
- Kishtainy, N. (2017), A little history of economics, Yale University Press.
If you want to study Economics and Management at Oxford we recommend the following books:
- Kerr, J. (2013), Legacy: 15 lessons in leadership. London: Constable.
- Knight, P. (2016) Shoe dog: A memoir by the creator of Nike. London: Simon & Schuster.
- Gary, J. (2017), Instagram marketing: A guide to growing your brand. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
- McGrath, M. and Bates, I. (2013), The little book of big management theories: …and how to use them. Harlow: Pearson Education.
- Dalio, R. (2018), Principles: Life and work. London: Simon & Schuster.
- McCormack, M.W. (1984), What they don’t teach you at Harvard Business School: Notes from a street-smart executive. New York: Bantam.
Publications
Publications such as The Financial Times, The Economist, and the economics sections of major newspapers like BBC, The Guardian, or The Times can help you connect theory to current affairs. Keeping up with economic news is particularly useful for discussing contemporary issues at interviews.
Set yourself the goal of reading at least one high-quality article each week, ideally on topics that interest you most, to stay informed about current economic trends and build material you can confidently draw on in your application and interviews.
Magazines
High-quality magazines like Prospect or New Statesman often feature articles that touch on economics in a wider social and political context. Reading across different viewpoints helps you develop a more balanced and critical approach.
Online Resources
Blogs from respected economists, think tanks, or academic institutions, can provide accessible insights into complex topics. They often address real-world issues more quickly than traditional publications, making them useful for keeping up with ongoing debates.
For example, the award-winning blog mainly macro by Oxford Professor Simon Wren-Lewis covers key themes around austerity, media criticism, and wider economic orthodoxies, from a Keynesian viewpoint. IEA blog from a free-market think tank, provides commentary on economics from a libertarian perspective, often focusing on UK policy issues. The Enlightened Economist, written by Cambridge Public Policy Professor Diane Coyle, this blog explores the intersection of economics, technology, and policy. FiveThirtyEight Economics offers a more mathematical and technical spin on current economic news.
Goldman Sachs has a series of podcasts where experts from the firm discuss developments in the global economy – amazing for those interested in finance. Freakonomics is a fun and informative exploration of how the economics’ basic principles drive the minutiae of day-to-day existence.
Television
Documentaries and programmes covering global issues, finance, or policy decisions can offer a more visual and engaging perspective.
Inside Job (2010), the Oscar-winning documentary, provides a clear and compelling breakdown of the 2008 financial crisis, exposing how deregulation and corruption within the financial industry fuelled the global recession. For a slightly lighter but equally insightful watch, The Big Short (2015) dramatises the same crisis through the lens of investors who predicted the collapse. Once you’ve watched those you can then explore more specific markets and ethical issues by watching The Corporation (2003), Dirty Money (2018), or Boom Bust Boom (2015).
Conclusion
Wider reading is one of the most effective ways to demonstrate your curiosity and commitment to studying Economics at Oxford or Cambridge. By exploring books, articles, podcasts, and documentaries discussed in this guide, you’ll not only strengthen your personal statement and interview preparation but also begin building the habits of independent study and critical thinking that will serve you well throughout your degree.
The best applicants don’t just read widely – they reflect, connect ideas across different sources, and develop their own informed opinions. Set yourself an achievable reading goal, stay consistent, and let your reading guide you toward a richer understanding of economics and its role in shaping the world with its current complexities.
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FAQs
1. Do I need to read every book on the Oxbridge Economics reading list?
While it’s great to read as much as you can, quality should always come before quantity. It’s far better to choose a handful of texts that genuinely interest you and engage with them in depth than to skim through the list without real engagement. Thoughtful reflection on a few well-chosen works will impress admissions tutors much more than a superficial overview of many.
2. Should I focus more on theory or current affairs?
You should aim for a balance between theory and current affairs. Oxbridge isn’t just interested in whether you can memorise economic models – they want to see that you can apply theoretical ideas to real-world situations. Whenever you read theory, try linking it to current economic events, and when you follow the news, think about which economic concepts help explain what’s happening in the world.
3. How Can I Make The Most of My Wider Reading for Oxbridge Economics?
The key to making the most of your wider reading for Oxbridge Economics isn’t just what you read – it’s how you reflect on it. Taking time to analyse and question the material is what turns reading into power. Ask yourself: What is the author’s main argument? Do I agree or disagree with it? How does this connect to current events or to other ideas I’ve read? These kinds of questions will help you develop a critical perspective and give you thoughtful points to draw on in your personal statement and interviews.
