SpinTel Entrepreneur Grant 2024 Winner - Harry Smith

By SpinTel Author

Harry Smith, a dedicated economics student, has been recognised as a deserving recipient of SpinTel’s 2024 Entrepreneur Grant. Harry's innovative approach aims to simplify complex economic concepts, making them more accessible and meaningful for everyday people. His vision is to empower individuals to engage with these principles in their daily lives through education and understanding.

Harry's application highlighted a significant issue: traditional economic metrics, while valuable, often fail to connect with the realities faced by everyday Australians. He emphasised the need for better communication of economic principles, arguing that economic decision-making is frequently seen as the exclusive domain of experts and academics, which can alienate the public and diminish their sense of control and agency.

Harry believes that this disconnect breeds a lack of trust and understanding, making the economy seem like an unpredictable force and mystery, beyond the reach of individuals. However, he contends that economics is deeply tied to our daily lives and decisions, especially for young Australians dealing with challenges like rising living costs, employment uncertainty and housing affordability.

To address this, Harry proposed an entrepreneurial approach that goes beyond traditional financial literacy. He emphasises the importance of making economic trends meaningful, accessible and engaging. By demystifying complex concepts like the Ricardian Equivalence—where consumers save instead of spend during tax cuts due to fears of future tax increases—Harry seeks to make economic theory relevant to everyone.

Harry's vision to make economics more relatable will help Australians recognise their personal impact and influence on the economic system. His approach promotes informed decision-making, encourages better interaction with Australian businesses and institutions and empowers Australians to participate in the economy with confidence.