Economics Books
recommended by economists
Last updated: December 21, 2025
We've asked some of the most eminent public figures and theorists to recommend economics books for Five Books. Robert Shiller (2013 Nobel economics prize) chose books on 'Human Traits Essential to Capitalism'. Paul Krugman (Nobel 2008) talked about the books that inspired him to become an economist (he included a work of science fiction). Daron Acemoglu (Nobel 2024) talked to us about inequality, Simon Johnson (Nobel 2024) on 'Why Economic History Matters.' Eric Maskin (Nobel 2007) spoke on 'Economic Theory and the Financial Crisis.' We also have reviews of the work of Claudia Goldin (Nobel 2023) on unfair pay. Far from a dismal science, economics can be a path to saving the world.
Behavioural Economics | Financial Crisis Books | Monopolies | Finance | Investing Books | Economic History | Development Economics | Fiction Recommended by Economists
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Our Dollar, Your Problem: An Insider's View of Seven Turbulent Decades of Global Finance, and the Road Ahead
by Kenneth Rogoff -
2
Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future
by Dan Wang -
3
After the Spike: Population, Progress, and the Case for People
by Dean Spears & Michael Geruso -
4
Fixed: Why Personal Finance Is Broken and How to Make It Work for Everyone
by John Y. Campbell & Tarun Ramadorai -
5
The Wealth of Nations
by Adam Smith
The Best Economics Books of 2025, recommended by Jason Furman
The Best Economics Books of 2025, recommended by Jason Furman
The economic challenges we face today aren’t the result of temporary shocks but structural changes that we need to grapple with, argues Jason Furman, a professor at Harvard and formerly the chief economic adviser to Barack Obama. He recommends five books to get us started—including the future of the dollar, China’s growth model, falling fertility, household financial fragility, and the enduring insights of Adam Smith.
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1
Six Faces of Globalization: Who Wins, Who Loses, and Why It Matters
by Anthea Roberts & Nicolas Lamp -
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Clashing over Commerce: A History of US Trade Policy
by Douglas A Irwin -
3
Between Market Economy and State Capitalism: China's State-Owned Enterprises and the World Trading System
by Henry Gao & Weihuan Zhou -
4
International Trade Law: A Casebook for a System in Crisis
by Henry Gao, Jennifer Hillman, Joost Pauwelyn & Nicolas Lamp -
5
The Great Convergence
by Richard Baldwin
The best books on Tariffs and Trade, recommended by Dmitry Grozoubinski
The best books on Tariffs and Trade, recommended by Dmitry Grozoubinski
Donald Trump has famously said that tariff is a ‘beautiful’ word. Most economists disagree. Here trade expert, Dmitry Grozoubinski, explains what tariffs are, what they have been, and can be, used to achieve and suggests five books to help you get up to speed on the current trade wars.
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Between Debt and the Devil: Money, Credit, and Fixing Global Finance
by Adair Turner -
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Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World
by Adam Tooze -
3
The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty
by Daron Acemoglu & James Robinson -
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Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century
by Brad DeLong -
5
The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War
by Robert J. Gordon
The best books on Challenges Facing the World Economy, recommended by Martin Wolf
The best books on Challenges Facing the World Economy, recommended by Martin Wolf
Problems in the world economy can have a profound impact on politics. What’s happening in the US and elsewhere is disturbing, says Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator of the Financial Times. He talks us through books to help us reflect on the challenges facing economies. His recommendations include two books that query whether the era of unprecedented economic growth—which has transformed our societies over the last 150 years—is finally coming to an end.
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Monetary Policy, Inflation, and the Business Cycle: An Introduction to the New Keynesian Framework and its Applications
by Jordi Gali -
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A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960
by Anna Schwartz & Milton Friedman -
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Inflation Targeting: Lessons from the International Experience
by Adam S. Posen, Ben Bernanke, Frederic S. Mishkin & Thomas Laubach -
4
A Monetary and Fiscal History of Latin America, 1960–2017
by Juan Pablo Nicolini & Timothy J. Kehoe -
5
The Conquest of American Inflation
by Thomas J. Sargent
The best books on Inflation, recommended by Federica Romei
The best books on Inflation, recommended by Federica Romei
Inflation has been under control in the developed world for decades now. Many assumed we had it beaten, but it has picked up recently and is once again a major policy concern. Here, Oxford economist Federica Romei chooses five books to help you understand inflation from a historical and theoretical perspective, and when, if and why you should worry about it.
The best books on John Maynard Keynes, recommended by Robert Skidelsky
Keynes biographer Robert Skidelsky recommends the best books about one of the most important economists of all time, John Maynard Keynes.
The best books on Universal Basic Income, recommended by Matthew Johnson
Is basic income a viable policy that changes everything? Matthew Johnson, Professor of Public Policy at Northumbria University, and other members of the ‘Common Sense Policy Group’ think so. He introduces us to the political philosophy behind basic income, how it works, and some of its potential outcomes.
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Shock Values: Prices and Inflation in American Democracy
by Carola Binder -
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One from the Many: The Global Economy Since 1850
by Christopher Meissner -
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Behind the Curve: Can Manufacturing Still Provide Inclusive Growth?
by Robert Lawrence -
4
Breaking the Mold: India’s Untraveled Path to Prosperity
by Raghuram G Rajan & Rohit Lamba -
5
How Economics Explains the World (US)/ The Shortest History of Economics (UK)
by Andrew Leigh
The Best Economics Books of 2024, recommended by Jason Furman
The Best Economics Books of 2024, recommended by Jason Furman
2024 was billed as the ‘year of elections’ but calling it the ‘year of economics’ might have been more apt as incumbent governments around the world were kicked out by high inflation, poor wage growth and continuing inequality. American economist Jason Furman recommends the best economics books of 2024, books that shed light on our current predicament and how to get out of it.
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Growth: A History and a Reckoning
by Daniel Susskind -
How Economics Explains the World (US)/ The Shortest History of Economics (UK)
by Andrew Leigh -
The Corporation in the Twenty-First Century: Why (Almost) Everything We Are Told About Business Is Wrongfnew ec
by John Kay -
Punishing Putin: Inside the Global Economic War to Bring Down Russia
by Stephanie Baker -
Default: The Landmark Court Battle over Argentina's $100 Billion Debt Restructuring
by Gregory Makoff
New Economics Books
New Economics Books
Lots of new economics books are published each year, catering to a range of readers. Many are aimed at non-economists, trying to explain what the subject is about. Others focus mainly on how economics has been interpreted or used by politicians, with lots of analysis of ‘neoliberalism’ in particular over the past few years. Within academia, economics is normally expressed in equations, with new work published in article form and only occasionally as books.
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The Great Demarcation: The French Revolution and the Invention of Modern Property
by Rafe Blaufarb -
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Gold and Freedom: The Political Economy of Reconstruction
by Nicolas Barreyre -
3
Citizenship between Empire and Nation: Remaking France and French Africa, 1945-1960
by Frederick Cooper -
4
Castes of Mind: Colonialism and the Making of Modern India
by Nicholas B. Dirks -
5
The Emergence of Globalism: Visions of World Order in Britain and the United States, 1939–1950
by Or Rosenboim
The best books on Historical Change and Economic Ideology, recommended by Thomas Piketty
The best books on Historical Change and Economic Ideology, recommended by Thomas Piketty
Throughout history, social and economic inequalities have been fueled and justified by different ideologies. French economist Thomas Piketty’s latest book, Capital and Ideology, looks at the advent and fall of these ideologies, and how they could evolve in the future. He recommends five great books to better understand these complex and always-evolving ideas, and their consequences for the world.
The best books on Game Theory, recommended by Ariel Rubinstein
Game theory is marketed as a system you can apply to any sphere of life, but does it really have much to offer in terms of practical application? The distinguished game theorist, Ariel Rubinstein, suggests not. He recommends the best books on game theory.
