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Matt Ridley
Finance & Economics
Matt Ridley is a British science writer, journalist and businessman whose work covers science, the environment and economics.
Biography
Matt Ridley, formally Matthew White Ridley, 5th Viscount Ridley, was born on 7 February 1958. A British science writer, journalist and businessman, he writes about science, the environment and economics and has regularly contributed to The Times. His book The Rational Optimist argues that trade and trust underpin human progress.
Ridley chaired Northern Rock from 2004 to 2007. During his chairmanship, it experienced the first run on a British bank in 130 years. He resigned, and a government bailout led to the bank’s nationalisation. A libertarian and supporter of Brexit, he inherited the viscountcy in February 2012. He held an elected seat in the House of Lords as a Conservative hereditary peer from February 2013 until retiring in December 2021.
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Books by Matt Ridley
The Rational Optimist
The Rational Optimist contrasts long-term improvements in human living conditions with persistent pessimism about the future. Ridley argues that progress depends on trade, that productive trade requires trust, and that continued change is the answer to human problems.