The Power of Economics Anonymous

Hiding and peeking from behind my father’s chair, I saw his clients come and go. Most of them did the same routine: queue in a line, read documents, sign, and swipe cards. At the same time, my father would skim through the lines, sign, stamp, seal another envelope and add it to the stack. The bank was quiet most of the time. I wondered why the paper did all the talking, but every time I glanced at them, I saw nothing but numbers.

I grew up hearing those familiar numbers on dinner table.

“Do you find the new streets lights in our neighborhood?” My father grinned.

“Yes! they were just installed last month.”

My father told me that it was his bank that provided the infrastructure-building company with 8 million RMB of fund, so that they could carry out the solar light project. My father often proudly talked about how their loans would fuel a new industry, create jobs and increase incomes. That was how I became interested in those numbers.

As I got into touch with Economics in high school, I realized more the power of those numbers and the stories behind them. I once read a news about Venezuelan people lined in the supermarkets to panic-buy sugar. Curious, I researched the recent economic data of Venezuela.

Since 2014,...