Llŷr Griffiths
Llŷr is an Assistant Economist at the Welsh Government, focusing on Economic Policy. He studied a BSc at the University of Bristol.
Mae Llŷr yn Economegydd Cynorthwyol yn Llywodraeth Cymru, yn canolbwyntio ar Bolisi Economaidd. Astudiodd BSc ym Mhrifysgol Bryste.
Why did you choose to study economics?
Pam dewis astudio economeg?
I have always had an interest in current affairs / things going on in the world – and from discussion with friends and family I soon realised it was the economic elements (decision-making, trade-offs, distributional impacts etc.) that interested me.
It was economics’ ever-present nature – and its importance to people’s lives – that intrigued me. Pick up a newspaper (or even a phone/tablet these days!), go to any page, and you will find some form of economics.
It also encompasses a wide-ranging skillset. There is the analytical, math-based skills that are needed to quantify the impact of things; as well as the more descriptive-based elements of interpreting information, understand different schools of thought, and communicating complex concepts to ordinary people.
Dwi wastad wedi bod â diddordeb mewn materion cyfoes / pethau sy'n digwydd yn y byd - ac o drafod gyda ffrindiau a theulu sylweddolais yn fuan mai'r elfennau economaidd (gwneud penderfyniadau, cyfaddawdu, effeithiau dosbarthiadol ac ati) oedd o ddiddordeb i mi. Natur fythol bresennol economeg – a'i phwysigrwydd i fywydau pobl – wnaeth fy nghyfareddu. Codwch bapur newydd (neu hyd yn oed ffôn / llechen y dyddiau hyn!), ewch i unrhyw dudalen, a byddwch yn dod o hyd i ryw fath o economeg.
Mae hefyd yn cwmpasu amrywiaeth eang o sgiliau. Er enghraifft sgiliau dadansoddi, mathemateg sydd angen i fesur effaith pethau; â'r elfennau mwy disgrifiadol o ddehongli gwybodaeth, deall gwahanol ffyrdd o feddwl, a chyfathrebu cysyniadau cymhleth i bawb.
How would you describe economics?
Sut byddet ti’n disgrifio economeg?
Using an analogy, I like to think of economics / the economy as a big ‘supercomputer’. Within it there are loads of different bits of activity taking place in different areas of the computer (i.e. human interactions around the world), most of which are interlinked with each other in some way. Working well, this ‘supercomputer’ (i.e. the economy) is great, and it can generate some very good things which positively impacts the people using it (people, businesses etc.). When some elements fail to work, however, it may cause other things to also fail, and it is often very difficult – even for the experts – to determine what has gone wrong, what is affecting what, and how to fix the problem. And, just like an economy, it can overheat or underperform, which will sometimes require action from ‘an engineer’ (e.g. Governments or Central Banks) to step-in and help fix its problems to get it back to its best.
Essentially, I would define economics as the study of human interaction. Economists attempt to untangle this complex web of interaction, trying to work out the reasons behind people’s behaviours and decisions taken. And then finally, what do these then mean for society / the world.
Gan ddefnyddio cyfatebiaeth, dwi’n hoffi meddwl am economeg / yr economi fel 'uwchgyfrifiadur' mawr. Tu fewn iddo mae llwyth o wahanol ddarnau o weithgaredd yn digwydd mewn gwahanol feysydd o'r cyfrifiadur (h.y. rhyngweithio dynol ledled y byd), y rhan fwyaf ohonynt yn cael eu cydgysylltu â'i gilydd mewn rhyw ffordd. Wrth weithio'n dda, mae'r 'uwchgyfrifiadur' hwn (h.y. yr economi) yn wych, a gall gynhyrchu rhai pethau da iawn sy'n effeithio'n gadarnhaol ar y bobl sy'n ei ddefnyddio (pobl, busnesau ac ati).
Pan fydd rhai elfennau'n methu, fodd bynnag, gall achosi i bethau eraill fethu hefyd, ac yn aml mae'n anodd iawn - hyd yn oed i'r arbenigwyr - i benderfynu beth sydd wedi mynd o'i le, beth sy'n effeithio ar beth, a sut i ddatrys y broblem. Ac, yn union fel yr economi, gall gorboethi neu danberfformio, a fydd weithiau'n gofyn am weithredu gan 'beiriannydd' (e.e. Llywodraethau neu Fanciau Canolog) i gamu i'r adwy a helpu i ddatrys ei broblemau i'w gael yn ôl ar ei orau.
Yn y bôn, byddwn yn diffinio economeg fel astudiaeth o ryngweithio dynol. Mae economegwyr yn ceisio datod y we gymhleth hon o ryngweithio, gan geisio canfod y rhesymau y tu ôl i’r ymddygiad a’r phenderfyniadau a wneir gan bobl. Ac yna yn olaf, beth mae'r rhain wedyn yn ei olygu i gymdeithas / i'r byd?
If you had a time machine and could meet your 16-year-old self, what advice would you give them?
Pe bai gennych beiriant amser a’r cyfle i gwrdd â'ch hun 16 oed, pa gyngor fyddech chi'n ei roi?
Pursue things you are interested in – not because you ‘need’ to do them.
If I had my time again, I DEFINITELY would choose another A-Level subject (geography) over Further Maths. I was worried that, have not done economics at all in school/ sixth form, that my maths would not be up to the level needed for degree economics. However, I found at university that lecturers spent a lot of time getting everyone up to speed with everything so that everyone was on the same level (as everyone is starting with a different level of experience and/or knowledge). I therefore wish I would have pursued something that I had a greater interest in (which would have brought me other benefits/skills) over something I did not really enjoy.
P.S. – Admittedly, this is personal to me, and Further Maths may be great for some!
Ewch ar drywydd pethau y mae gennych ddiddordeb ynddynt – nid oherwydd bod 'angen' i'w gwneud. Pe bawn i'n cael fy amser eto, byddwn i'n BENDANT yn dewis pwnc Safon Uwch arall (Daearyddiaeth) dros Fathemateg Pellach. Roeddwn i'n poeni na astudiais i economeg yn yr ysgol/chweched dosbarth, ac na fyddai fy mathemateg yn cyrraedd y lefel oedd ei angen ar gyfer astudio economeg fel gradd.
Fodd bynnag, yn y brifysgol roedd y darlithwyr yn treulio llawer o amser i godi lefelau pawb (gan nad oeddem â’r un profiadau a/neu wybodaeth). Felly, hoffwn pe bawn wedi dilyn rhywbeth yr oedd gennyf fwy o ddiddordeb ynddo (a fyddai wedi dod â budd/sgiliau eraill i mi) dros rywbeth nad oeddwn wir yn ei fwynhau.
O.N – Wrth gwrs, dim ond fy mhrofiad personol i oedd hwn, a gall Mathemateg Pellach fod yn bwnc gwych i rai!
What is your favourite part of economics?
Beth yw eich hoff elfen o economeg?
For me, its two things:
1. Understanding what drives people’s choice. I have always been intrigued by individuals’ strong desire to find the cheapest options for certain goods, but how they then spend more than the amount saved on other goods which had cheaper alternatives. This decision-making process – and most importantly what drives people to carry-out these choices – fascinates me.
2. Market failures. Not the failures themselves (hopefully that goes without saying) – but how/why they come about, how/when (if at all) should governments step-in and intervene, and the potentially implications (good and bad) of doing so.
Dau beth pwysig imi:
1. Deall beth sy'n gyrru dewisiadau pobl. Dwi’n rhyfeddu ar awydd cryf unigolion i ddod o hyd i'r prisiau rhataf am nwyddau, ond wedyn maent yn gwario mwy na'r swm a arbedwyd ar nwyddau rhatach eraill. Mae'r broses-benderfynu yma – ac yn bwysicaf oll yr hyn sy'n gyrru pobl i wneud y dewisiadau hyn – o ddiddordeb mawr i fi.
2. Methiannau yn y farchnad. Nid y methiannau eu hunain (gobeithio bod hynny'n amlwg) - ond sut/pam maen nhw'n digwydd, sut/pryd (os o gwbl) y dylai llywodraethau gamu i'r adwy ac ymyrryd, a'r goblygiadau posibl (da a drwg) o wneud hynny.
Is there anything you would do differently if you had the chance?
A fyddech chi'n gwneud rhywbeth yn wahanol pe byddech chi'n cael y cyfle?
I belong to the “everything happens for a reason” school of thought – with every ‘mistake’ a lesson to learn from, and a chance to do better next time around.
I guess the only thing I could have wished for was that I found economics slightly earlier than I did. With no economics provision at my school, it was not until university when I started learning about economics in a formal capacity.
That is why Discover Economics’ work is so important – and hence the reason I got involved as a student champion whilst at university (which I would highly recommend!).
Dwi'n gryf o’r farn fod "popeth yn digwydd am reswm" - y gallwn ddysgu o bob 'camgymeriad', a chael cyfle i wneud yn well y tro nesaf. Efallai yr unig beth dwi’n difaru yw fy mod wedi dod i economeg ychydig yn hwyr. Heb unrhyw ddarpariaeth economeg yn fy ysgol, dim ond yn y brifysgol y dechreuais ddysgu am economeg. Dyna pam mae gwaith ‘Discover Economics’ mor bwysig – a’r rheswm pam fues i yn bencampwr myfyrwyr yn y brifysgol (profiad y byddwn yn ei argymell yn fawr!).