In this discussion, I will outline some recent highlights of our research, addressing two questions. Firstly, can big data resources provide in-sights into crises in financial markets which affect humans worldwide? By analysing Google query volumes for search terms related to finance, we find patterns which may be interpreted as early warning signs of stock market moves. Secondly, can we provide insight into international differences in economic wellbeing by comparing patterns of interaction with the Internet? To answer this question, we introduce a future-orientation index to quantify the degree to which Internet users seek more information about years in the future than years in the past. We an-alyse Google logs and find a striking correlation between the country's GDP and the predisposition of its inhabitants to look forward. Our re-sults illustrate the potential that combining extensive behavioural data sets offers for a better understanding of large scale human economic behaviour.
Join us for light refreshments (coffee/tea and biscuits) before the Forum at 2.15 p.m.
This event is free and open to public: go.warwick.ac.uk/draw
