We have over 80 interviews on economics books, with some of the most eminent public figures and theorists recommending books in their field. Robert Shiller chooses his best books on capitalism and human nature. Larry Summers and Dani Rodrik choose their best books on globalisation. Barry Eichengreen recommends the best books on the Euro. Jeffrey Sachs discusses millennium development goals and Muhammad Yunus chooses his best books on a world without poverty.
Looking to contemporary economics, Jason Furman selects the best economics books of 2022 with Diane Coyle choosing her best economics books of 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021 and Paul Krugman chooses the books that inspired him as an economist. We have a section on popular economics books and John Kay recommends the best investment books for beginners.
Beyond that, we have interviews on books covering everything in economics, business and investing, from financial markets and the financial crisis to game theory, econometrics, urban economics, the inequality crisis, labour unions, women and work to the Indian economy and the role of China in the global economy.
Mark Blyth discusses how the world’s political economy works and Robert Reich chooses his best books on saving capitalism and democracy. Emma Rothschild chooses her best books on economic history and Simon Johnson his best on why economic history matters. Robert Barro chooses his best books on the lessons of the great depression.
The most recommended books in our interviews include Michael Lewis’s The Big Short, David Landes’s The Wealth and Poverty of Nations, Charles Kindleberger’s Manias, Panics, and Crashes, Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century and, of course, Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations.
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The Journey of Humanity: The Origins of Wealth and Inequality
by Oded Galor -
2
Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century
by Brad DeLong -
3
Streets of Gold: America's Untold Story of Immigrant Success
by Leah Boustan & Ran Abramitzky -
4
Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do about It
by Richard V Reeves -
5
Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology
by Chris Miller
The Best Economics Books of 2022, recommended by Jason Furman
The Best Economics Books of 2022, recommended by Jason Furman
As we study the causes of economic prosperity over the millennia and particularly the last century-and-a-half, it’s worth remembering that humans are always the most important driver of economic growth. Jason Furman, a Harvard economics professor and former adviser to Barack Obama, picks out five of the best economics books of 2022, as well as topics he’d like to see books about in 2023.
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1
Thinking Strategically: The Competitive Edge in Business, Politics, and Everyday Life
by Avinash Dixit & Barry Nalebuff -
2
Money Changes Everything: How Finance Made Civilization Possible
by William Goetzmann -
3
Hidden Order: The Economics of Everyday Life
by David Friedman -
4
The Truth About Markets: Why Some Nations are Rich But Most Remain Poor
by John Kay -
5
Grand Pursuit: The Story of the People Who Made Modern Economics
by Sylvia Nasar
The Best Introductions to Economics, recommended by Tim Harford
The Best Introductions to Economics, recommended by Tim Harford
Nearly every aspect of our life is determined by economics, and yet it’s easy to go through life understanding very little about it. Author and columnist Tim Harford (aka the ‘Undercover Economist’) introduces the best books to get you thinking like an economist.
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1
Monetary Policy, Inflation, and the Business Cycle: An Introduction to the New Keynesian Framework and its Applications
by Jordi Gali -
2
A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960
by Anna Schwartz & Milton Friedman -
3
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.
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Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century
by Brad DeLong -
2
How the World Became Rich: The Historical Origins of Economic Growth
by Jared Rubin & Mark Koyama -
3
The World the Plague Made: The Black Death and the Rise of Europe
by James Belich -
4
Pioneers of Capitalism: The Netherlands 1000–1800
by Jan Luiten van Zanden & Maarten Prak -
5
The Cambridge Economic History of China
by by Debin Ma and Richard von Glahn (editors)
The Best Economic History Books of 2022, recommended by Davis Kedrosky
The Best Economic History Books of 2022, recommended by Davis Kedrosky
From a sweeping history of China covering three millennia to what econometrics papers can tell us about what made the world rich, it’s been a fantastic year for economic history books. Davis Kedrosky, a student at Berkeley and publisher of Great Transformations, an economic history newsletter, picks some of his favourite economic history books of 2022.
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Macroeconomics
by Greg Mankiw -
2
Macroeconomics
by Stephen Williamson -
3
Advanced Macroeconomics
by David Romer -
4
Monetary Policy, Inflation, and the Business Cycle: An Introduction to the New Keynesian Framework and its Applications
by Jordi Gali -
5
Recursive Macroeconomic Theory
by Lars Ljungqvist and Thomas J Sargent
The Best Macroeconomics Textbooks, recommended by Raffaele Rossi
The Best Macroeconomics Textbooks, recommended by Raffaele Rossi
In its study of the broader economy, macroeconomics is a vital tool for understanding the world around us, offering insights into issues that affect us all, like inflation and unemployment. Which textbooks to read to learn more about it? Here, Raffaele Rossi, Senior Lecturer at the University of Manchester, recommends his top macroeconomics textbooks, starting with entry-level books aimed at undergraduates all the way through to the tough tomes you’ll need to plough through if you’re doing a doctorate and want to work at the frontier of the discipline.
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The Hour of Fate: Theodore Roosevelt, J.P. Morgan, and the Battle to Transform American Capitalism
by Susan Berfield -
2
The Curse of Bigness: Anti-Trust in the New Gilded Age
by Tim Wu -
3
Antitrust: Taking on Monopoly Power from the Gilded Age to the Digital Age
by Amy Klobuchar -
4
The Great Reversal: How America Gave up on Free Markets
by Thomas Philippon -
5
The Profit Paradox: How Thriving Firms Threaten the Future of Work
by Jan Eeckhout
The best books on Market Concentration, recommended by Jan Loeys
The best books on Market Concentration, recommended by Jan Loeys
Power corrupts and corporate power is no exception: its effects are bad for consumers, bad for workers and bad for the economy. Here, Belgian American economist Jan Loeys recommends books that look at the economic and political implications of ‘market concentration,’ and explains why we don’t need governments that are pro-business but ones that are pro-market.
The best books on Learning Economics, recommended by John Quiggin
We live in a society where it’s vital to have a good grasp of economics, but that doesn’t mean you need an economics degree to understand what it’s all about. Australian economist John Quiggin, author of Economics in Two Lessons, recommends books for learning about economics, all accessible to the general reader, and tries to dispel some of the myths about what it is professional economists do.
The best books on Capitalism and Human Nature, recommended by Robert J Shiller
“You have to understand people first before you can understand how to devise an economic system for them” argues Robert J Shiller, the Yale economics professor and Nobel laureate. He chooses five books that explore who we fundamentally are, as human beings, and how that will determine the shape of a successful capitalism.
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The Age of Cryptocurrency: How Bitcoin and Digital Money Are Challenging the Global Economic Order
by Michael Casey & Paul Vigna -
2
Digital Cash: The Unknown History of the Anarchists, Utopians, and Technologists Who Created Cryptocurrency
by Finn Brunton -
3
A History of Money
by Glyn Davies -
4
Paid: Tales of Dongles, Checks, and Other Money Stuff
Bill Maurer and Lana Swartz (eds) -
5
The Basics of Bitcoins and Blockchains
by Antony Lewis
The best books on Cryptocurrency, recommended by David Birch
The best books on Cryptocurrency, recommended by David Birch
Proselytes for cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin extol them as a liberation technology to free us from big government. Sceptics insist that while they have been the source of useful technologies, as units of value, account and exchange, they will remain marginal. Here, digital currency expert David Birch chooses five books to help you understand the utopian roots of cryptocurrencies, the technology behind how they work, their functions and uses, and their broader place in the long history of money.
The Best Finance Books, recommended by Andrew W Lo
At its worst, finance leads to crises and economic dislocation and, yet, it’s absolutely vital to solving many of the problems society faces today. MIT’s Andrew W Lo introduces some of the best books on finance and explains how it can change the world for the better.
The best books on Globalization, recommended by Larry Summers
Globalization benefits mankind and we are learning how better to deal with the disruption it causes. But one thing is for sure, the laws of economics are no more escapable than the laws of physics. Harvard professor and former US Treasury secretary, Larry Summers, recommends the best books on globalization.
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Showdown at Gucci Gulch: Lawmakers, Lobbyists, and the Unlikely Triumph of Tax Reform
by Alan Murray & Jeffrey Birnbaum -
2
The Sinews of Power: War, Money and the English State, 1688–1783
by John Brewer -
3
Taxing the Rich: A History of Fiscal Fairness in the United States and Europe
by David Stasavage & Kenneth Scheve -
4
The Income Tax: A Study of the History, Theory, and Practice of Income Taxation at Home and Abroad
by Edwin Seligman -
5
Dimensions of Tax Design: The Mirrlees Review
by Institute for Fiscal Studies
The Best Books on Taxes and Taxation, recommended by Joel Slemrod & Michael Keen
The Best Books on Taxes and Taxation, recommended by Joel Slemrod & Michael Keen
Many of us try to avoid thinking about taxes unless we have to, but the truth is taxation has had a profound effect on the course of history and will play a key in the future society we create, too. Here, Michael Keen and Joel Slemrod, both public finance economists and authors of Rebellion, Rascals, and Revenue: Tax Follies and Wisdom Through the Ages, recommend books about taxes that are not only informative but also good reads.
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The European Miracle: Environments, Economies and Geopolitics in the History of Europe and Asia
by E L Jones -
2
The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy
by Kenneth Pomeranz -
3
The Lever of Riches: Technological Creativity and Economic Progress
by Joel Mokyr -
4
Guns, Germs and Steel
by Jared Diamond -
5
How the World Became Rich: The Historical Origins of Economic Growth
by Jared Rubin & Mark Koyama
The best books on The Great Divergence, recommended by Davis Kedrosky
The best books on The Great Divergence, recommended by Davis Kedrosky
After a slow start, why did northwest Europe move ahead of the rest of the world in the early modern period and establish an economic dominance whose effects are felt to this day? Davis Kedrosky, a student at Berkeley and publisher of the economic history newsletter, Great Transformations, introduces ‘the Great Divergence’ and suggests some books that get to the heart of the question.
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A Brief History of Neoliberalism
by David Harvey -
2
Globalists: The End of Empire and the Birth of Neoliberalism
by Quinn Slobodian -
3
The Birth of Biopolitics: Lectures at the Collège de France, 1978–1979
by Michel Foucault -
4
Undoing the Demos: Neoliberalism's Stealth Revolution
by Wendy Brown -
5
Family Values: Between Neoliberalism and the New Social Conservatism
by Melinda Cooper
The best books on Neoliberalism, recommended by Gary Gerstle
The best books on Neoliberalism, recommended by Gary Gerstle
Neoliberalism is, arguably, the dominant political and economic ideology of the Western world, although its dominance is contested and the ills of the world are often laid at its door. Here Cambridge historian Gary Gerstle discusses five books that will help you understand neoliberalism’s origins, its ambitions and why it has been supported and opposed with such partisanship.
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Fluttering Veil: Essays on Monetary Disequilibrium
by Leland Yeager -
2
Money Mischief: Episodes in Monetary History
by Milton Friedman -
3
A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960
by Anna Schwartz & Milton Friedman -
4
The Midas Paradox: Financial Markets, Government Policy Shocks and the Great Depression
by Scott B. Sumner -
5
The Great Recession: Market Failure or Policy Failure?
by Robert L. Hetzel
The best books on Monetary Policy, recommended by Lars Christensen
The best books on Monetary Policy, recommended by Lars Christensen
Monetary policy isn’t just about setting interest rates and if we think about it in those terms, we’ll never really understand it, says Danish economist Lars Christensen. Here, he recommends books to better understand monetary policy, and explains why reading about the past is so important for avoiding mistakes in the future.
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The Profit Paradox: How Thriving Firms Threaten the Future of Work
by Jan Eeckhout -
2
The Great Reversal: How America Gave up on Free Markets
by Thomas Philippon -
3
How Antitrust Failed Workers
by Eric A. Posner -
4
Competition is Killing Us: How Big Business is Harming Our Society and Planet
by Michelle Meagher -
5
The Antitrust Paradigm: Restoring a Competitive Economy
by Jonathan B. Baker
The best books on Antitrust, recommended by Howard Smith
The best books on Antitrust, recommended by Howard Smith
Across sectors and around the world fewer and fewer companies dominate the economy, with negative consequences for consumers, workers and the economy as a whole. Here, Oxford economist Howard Smith introduces books on ‘antitrust,’ a key policy tool for ensuring that markets are actually functioning properly in market economies.
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Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism
by Angus Deaton & Anne Case -
2
Frank Ramsey: A Sheer Excess of Powers
by Cheryl Misak -
3
If Then: How the Simulmatics Corporation Invented the Future
by Jill Lepore -
4
Boom and Bust: A Global History of Financial Bubbles
by John D. Turner & William Quinn -
5
Rentier Capitalism: Who Owns the Economy, and Who Pays for It?
by Brett Christophers
The Best Economics Books of 2020, recommended by Diane Coyle
The Best Economics Books of 2020, recommended by Diane Coyle
The global economy has been hit by another massive and unexpected shock this year in the form of the pandemic, which is already having knock-on effects on how people think about economics. Here, Professor Diane Coyle of Cambridge University chooses the best economics books published in 2020.
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The Unbound Prometheus: Technological Change and Industrial Development in Western Europe from 1750 to the Present
by David S Landes -
2
Growth Recurring: Economic Change in World History
by Eric Jones -
3
The British Industrial Revolution in Global Perspective
by Robert C. Allen -
4
The Enlightened Economy: An Economic History of Britain 1700–1850
by Joel Mokyr -
5
Forging Ahead, Falling Behind and Fighting Back: British Economic Growth from the Industrial Revolution to the Financial Crisis
by Nicholas Crafts
The best books on Industrial Revolution, recommended by Sheilagh Ogilvie
The best books on Industrial Revolution, recommended by Sheilagh Ogilvie
The Industrial Revolution transformed the world forever by enabling self-perpetuating economic growth. But historians are still at odds about why the industrial revolution happened where it did and when it did. Here, Sheilagh Ogilvie, Chichele Professor of Economic History at All Souls College, Oxford, guides us through the debates and why they are still relevant today.
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Home in the World: A Memoir
by Amartya Sen -
2
Shutdown: How Covid Shook the World's Economy
by Adam Tooze -
3
Good Data: An Optimist's Guide to Our Digital Future
by Sam Gilbert -
4
Vaxxers: The Inside Story of the Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine and the Race Against the Virus
by Catherine Green & Sarah Gilbert -
5
Radical Potter
by Tristram Hunt
The Best Economics Books of 2021, recommended by Diane Coyle
The Best Economics Books of 2021, recommended by Diane Coyle
From the education of a Nobel Prize-winning economist to debates about privacy and the drawbacks of global supply chains, Professor Diane Coyle of Cambridge University’s Bennett Institute for Public Policy chooses the best economics books of 2021. These are highly readable books that also shed important light on the Covid pandemic and the world we live in.
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The Fissured Workplace: Why Work Became So Bad for So Many and What Can Be Done to Improve It
by David Weil -
2
Why Wages Don't Fall During a Recession
by Truman F. Bewley -
3
Nickel and Dimed
by Barbara Ehrenreich -
4
The End of Loyalty: The Rise and Fall of Good Jobs in America
by Rick Wartzman -
5
Relational Inequalities: An Organizational Approach
by Donald Tomaskovic-Devey & Dustin Avent-Holt
The best books on Pay, recommended by Jake Rosenfeld
The best books on Pay, recommended by Jake Rosenfeld
Economists have tended to assume that the value of our personal contribution—our marginal product—largely determines what we get paid. In reality, there are many other factors involved that have nothing to do with our qualifications or personal performance. Here Jake Rosenfeld, Professor of Sociology at Washington University in St Louis, explains why it is that senior executive pay growth has shot up in recent decades and why, for workers at the bottom, it has flatlined.
The Best Finance Books for Teens and Young Adults, recommended by Darren Collins
Financial literacy is an essential life skill, but it is not routinely taught at school and not everybody has good role models to look to for financial behaviour. Reading can certainly help. Finance teacher Darren Collins recommends his top books for teens and young adults to learn the fundamentals for making sound personal finance decisions in life.
Michèle Lamont on The Sociology of Inequality
“If we come to understand the human value and dignity of people from different backgrounds, we can do a bit to deflect inequality in our everyday interactions,” says Harvard Professor and winner of the 2017 Erasmus Prize Michèle Lamont. Here, she recommends five books that illuminate the sociology of inequality.
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The Technology Trap: Capital, Labor, and Power in the Age of Automation
by Carl Benedikt Frey -
2
Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control
by Stuart Russell -
3
Globalists: The End of Empire and the Birth of Neoliberalism
by Quinn Slobodian -
4
Extreme Economies
by Richard Davies -
5
Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life
by Eric Klinenberg
The Best Economics Books of 2019, recommended by Diane Coyle
The Best Economics Books of 2019, recommended by Diane Coyle
The urgency of the challenges facing society has led to a wonderful supply of books by leading thinkers on a variety of pressing topics. Economist Diane Coyle, a professor at the University of Cambridge and co-director of the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, recommends her top five economics books of 2019.
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The Dutch Revolt
by Geoffrey Parker -
2
The First Modern Economy: Success, Failure, and Perseverance of the Dutch Economy, 1500–1815
by Ad van der Woude & Jan de Vries -
3
The Dutch Moment: War, Trade and Settlement in the Seventeenth Century Atlantic World
by Wim Klooster -
4
Calvinists and Libertines: Confession and Community in Utrecht, 1578-1620
by Benjamin J. Kaplan -
5
Rembrandt's Universe: His Art, His Life, His World
by Gary Schwartz
The best books on The Dutch Golden Age, recommended by Maarten Prak
The best books on The Dutch Golden Age, recommended by Maarten Prak
The Netherlands witnessed a flourishing in the late 16th and first half of the 17th century, leading the world in technology, commerce and the arts, particularly painting. Historian Maarten Prak recommends five books to help you understand why the Dutch Golden Age saw the invention of stock exchanges and why it produced Rembrandt, too.
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The Passions and the Interests
by Albert Hirschman -
2
The Worldly Philosophers
by Robert L Heilbroner -
3
The Classical Economists Revisited
by D. P. O'Brien -
4
Economic Sentiments: Adam Smith, Condorcet and the Enlightenment
by Emma Rothschild -
5
Karl Marx: A Nineteenth-Century Life
by Jonathan Sperber
The Best Books on the Classical Economists, recommended by Brad DeLong
The Best Books on the Classical Economists, recommended by Brad DeLong
They were an eclectic bunch, including, among others, a stock market speculator, a moral philosopher, a cleric, a lawyer and a journalist. From the late-18th to the mid-19th century, they provided the first systematic explanations of how economies work, where they fail and how they might be made to work better. Here, Brad DeLong, a professor of economics at UC Berkeley, introduces the classical economists, and suggests books to read to learn more about them and what they were trying to achieve.
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The Great Demarcation: The French Revolution and the Invention of Modern Property
by Rafe Blaufarb -
2
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.
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The New Division of Labor: How Computers Are Creating the Next Job Market
by Frank Levy & Richard J Murnane -
2
The Race between Education and Technology
by Claudia Goldin and Lawrence F Katz -
3
Essays in Persuasion
by John Maynard Keynes -
4
Future Politics: Living Together in a World Transformed by Tech
by Jamie Susskind -
5
Marienthal: The Sociography of an Unemployed Community
by Hans Zeisel, Marie Jahoda & Paul F Lazarsfeld
The Best Books on the Future of Work, recommended by Daniel Susskind
The Best Books on the Future of Work, recommended by Daniel Susskind
For many us, work is not only a vital source of income, but also an important part of our identity. As computers become ever better at doing jobs that used to be the exclusive preserve of humans, the work available to us and the rewards for doing it will change dramatically. As economist Daniel Susskind explains, these developments are going to force us to rethink how society as a whole works at a very fundamental level, changing the role of the state, the way we think about how individuals contribute to society and how they can, or should, be rewarded.
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Free Trade Under Fire
by Douglas A Irwin -
2
A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960
by Anna Schwartz & Milton Friedman -
3
The Liquidation of Government Debt (Economic Policy, Volume 30, Issue 82, April 2015)
by Carmen Reinhart & M. Belen Sbrancia -
4
The Great Reversal: How America Gave up on Free Markets
by Thomas Philippon -
5
Hard Head, Soft Hearts: Tough-minded Economics for a Just Society
by Alan S Blinder
The Economics of Coronavirus: A Reading List, recommended by Ricardo Reis
The Economics of Coronavirus: A Reading List, recommended by Ricardo Reis
As we deal with the economic fallout of coronavirus, what lessons can economic theory and economic history teach us as we navigate the months ahead? Ricardo Reis, professor of economics at the London School of Economics—and consultant to both the Bank of England and the Federal Reserve—recommends four books and one article to help us think through the economic challenges posed by Covid-19.
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Currency and Credit
by R. G. Hawtrey -
2
Credit and State Theories of Money: The Contributions of A. Mitchell Innes
by L. Randall Wray -
3
The Nature of Money
by Geoffrey Ingham -
4
History of Economic Analysis
by Joseph A. Schumpeter -
5
The New Lombard Street: How the Fed Became the Dealer of Last Resort
by Perry Mehrling
The best books on Money, recommended by Samuel A. Chambers
The best books on Money, recommended by Samuel A. Chambers
Economists have offered two contrasting explanations of what money is and what it is for. For a long time, its function as a commodity, a store of value and a medium of exchange dominated economics textbooks. But, as Professor Samuel A. Chambers explains, understanding money as something closer to credit is more convincing and supported by other social sciences and what we’ve learned from the 2008 financial crisis.
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1
Saving Capitalism from the Capitalists
by Luigi Zingales & Raghuram G Rajan -
2
Exit, Voice, and Loyalty
by Albert Hirschman -
3
Antitrust Paradox
by Robert H. Bork -
4
Lectures on Antitrust Economics
by Michael D. Whinston -
5
Radical Markets: Uprooting Capitalism and Democracy for a Just Society
by E. Glen Weyl & Eric A. Posner
The best books on Market Competition, recommended by Jason Furman
The best books on Market Competition, recommended by Jason Furman
Despite the large number of brands, most Americans buy their beer from just two companies. Consumer choice in the new digital economy is hardly better. Economist Jason Furman, chair of the Council of Economic Advisers under Barack Obama and now a professor at Harvard, recommends books to better understand market competition.
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Invisible Users: Youth in the Internet Cafés of Urban Ghana
by Jenna Burrell -
2
Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa: How a Continent Is Escaping Silicon Valley's Long Shadow
by Mark Graham, Michel Wahome & Nicholas Friederici -
3
China Africa and the Future of the Internet
by Iginio Gagliardone -
4
Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics: How the Internet Era is Transforming Politics in Kenya
by Nanjala Nyabola -
5
Africa's Information Revolution
by James Murphy & Padraig Carmody
The best books on Digital Africa, recommended by Mohammad Amir Anwar
The best books on Digital Africa, recommended by Mohammad Amir Anwar
The internet and digital technology are transforming not only the way African countries trade and conduct business but also how they cohere socially and politically. Mohammad Amir Anwar, Lecturer in African Studies and International Development at the University of Edinburgh, recommends books that investigate the opportunities for Africa from the growth of technology—but focus on specifics and avoid the hype.
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The Great Divergence: China, Europe, and the Making of the Modern World Economy
by Kenneth Pomeranz -
2
Cotton: the Fabric that made the Modern World
by Giorgio Riello -
3
The City of Blue and White: Chinese Porcelain and the Early Modern World
by Anne Gerritsen -
4
Vermeer's Hat: The seventeenth century and the dawn of the global world
by Timothy Brook -
5
Horizons: The Global Origins of Modern Science
by James Poskett
The best books on Global History, recommended by Maxine Berg
The best books on Global History, recommended by Maxine Berg
From the Indian cottons that were traded around Asia and Africa in the Middle Ages, to the global dominance of the blue-and-white pottery of Jingdezhen, historian Maxine Berg introduces five books that transformed our understanding of the past millennium and are significant milestones in the development of the vibrant field of global history.
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Mercantilism
by Eli F. Heckscher -
2
Nationalism
by Elie Kedourie -
3
The Deluge: The Great War, America and the Remaking of the Global Order, 1916-1931
by Adam Tooze -
4
Economic Nationalism in Old and New States
by Harry G. Johnson -
5
The Populist Temptation: Economic Grievance and Political Reaction in the Modern Era
by Barry Eichengreen
The best books on Economic Nationalism, recommended by Fredrik Erixon
The best books on Economic Nationalism, recommended by Fredrik Erixon
Economic nationalism is more than just protectionism, it is rooted in a view of the national economy as a unique national phenomenon that needs protecting. As economist Fredrik Erixon explains, its roots are to be found as much in the progressive nationalism of Woodrow Wilson as they are in 19th century Prussia or the mercantilism of 17th century Europe.
The best books on Behavioral Science, recommended by Nicholas Epley
What can we draw from behavioral science to help us better understand each other? Nicholas Epley, Professor of Behavioral Science and Faculty Director of the Center for Decision Research at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, recommends the five best books for learning about an interdisciplinary field that draws from psychology, sociology, economics and anthropology.
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.
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1
Bank Runs, Deposit Insurance and Liquidity (Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 91, No. 3, June 1983)
by Douglas Diamond and Philip Dybvig -
2
Private and Public Supply of Liquidity (Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 106, No. 1, February 1998)
by Bengt Holmstrom and Jean Tirole -
3
The Prudential Regulation of Banks
by Mathias Dewatripont and Jean Tirole -
4
Credit Cycles (Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 105, No. 2, April 1997)
by Nobuhiro Kiyotaki and John Moore -
5
Leverage Cycles and the Anxious Economy (American Economic Review, Vol. 98, No. 4, September 2008)
by Ana Fostel and John Geanakoplos
Economic Theory and the Financial Crisis: A Reading List, recommended by Eric Maskin
Economic Theory and the Financial Crisis: A Reading List, recommended by Eric Maskin
The 2007 Nobel Economics Prize winner says that, contrary to popular perception, economic theory did a good job of predicting the financial crisis, it’s just that no one was paying any attention. Eric Maskin talks us through four journal articles and one book on ‘economic theory and the financial crisis.’
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1
Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race and Family Life
by Annette Lareau -
2
How Children Succeed. Grit, Curiosity and the Hidden Power of Character
by Paul Tough -
3
Intelligence and How To Get It: Why Schools and Culture Count
by Richard E. Nisbett -
4
Promises I Can Keep: Why Poor Women Put Motherhood before Marriage
by Kathryn Edin & Maria Kefalas -
5
Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong and What You Really Need to Know
by Emily Oster
Parenting: A Social Science Perspective, recommended by Nate G. Hilger
Parenting: A Social Science Perspective, recommended by Nate G. Hilger
We think of parenting as a level playing field because loving your kids and doing everything you can for them comes naturally and isn’t determined by socio-economic status. The problem is that it may not be enough, says economist Nate G. Hilger. Here, he argues for a more activist approach so that kids across society have an equal opportunity to do well in life.
The best books on Learning from the Great Depression, recommended by Christina Romer
The former chair of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers says we’ve learned that terrible downturns can still occur, but also that the right policy response can make a huge difference to the outcome
Books that Inspired a Liberal Economist, recommended by Paul Krugman
Paul Krugman, Nobel prize-winning economist, Op-Ed columnist for the New York Times, and Emeritus Professor of Economics and International Affairs at Princeton, discusses the books that most influenced his formation as a liberal economist.
The best books on Why Economic History Matters, recommended by Simon Johnson
History contains useful warnings and lessons and today’s economic policymakers would do well to heed them, says the IMF’s former chief economist, Simon Johnson. He recommends books showing why economic history matters.
The best books on The Euro, recommended by Barry Eichengreen
With hindsight, was the euro a good idea? Will it come through the present crisis intact or will any country decide to leave? And what happens if they do? Economist Barry Eichengreen recommends the best books on the euro.
Peter Temin on An Economic Historian’s Favourite Books
Distinguished economic historian, Peter Temin, talks us through some of his favourite books. His own latest book, The Vanishing Middle Class, charts America’s regression towards a pre-industrial society: with many poor, a few rich, and not much in between.
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1
The Race between Education and Technology
by Claudia Goldin and Lawrence F Katz -
2
Top Incomes in the Long Run of History
by Emmanuel Saez, Thomas Piketty & Tony Atkinson -
3
Why Nations Fail
by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson -
4
Unequal Democracy
by Larry M Bartels -
5
13 Bankers
by Simon Johnson & Simon Johnson and James Kwak
The best books on Inequality, recommended by Daron Acemoglu
The best books on Inequality, recommended by Daron Acemoglu
The US, the UK and many other countries around the globe have become far less equal over the past 30 years. It’s important we understand how and why this happened, and what it means for our societies, says Daron Acemoglu, a professor of economics at MIT. He recommends the best books to get a better understanding of inequality.
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1
Principles of Social Justice
by David Miller -
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The Spirit Level: Why Greater Equality Makes Societies Stronger
by Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett -
3
Inequality Reexamined
by Amartya Sen -
4
Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten The World Economy
by Raghuram G Rajan -
5
Chavs
by Owen Jones
The best books on Fairness and Inequality, recommended by Will Hutton
The best books on Fairness and Inequality, recommended by Will Hutton
What is the difference between fairness and equality? In contemporary capitalist societies, some inequality is inevitable and desirable. But the rewards for the few at the top have soared while the rest have been squeezed. Is this fair? We need a new social contract, says the author and columnist
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1
The Interesting Narrative
by Olaudah Equiano -
2
Capitalism and Slavery
by Eric Williams -
3
The Rise of African Slavery in the Americas
by David Eltis -
4
Ouidah: The Social History of a West African Slaving Port 1727-1892
by Robin Law -
5
American Slavery, American Freedom: The Ordeal of Colonial Virginia
by Edmund S Morgan
The best books on The Slave Trade, recommended by William A. Pettigrew
The best books on The Slave Trade, recommended by William A. Pettigrew
In the 17th and 18th century millions of Africans were shipped across the Atlantic to the Americas as slaves. This trade took place at the same time as ‘liberal’ ideas about the importance of human freedom took root in Great Britain and North America. Here, historian William A. Pettigrew recommends five books to help understand the slave trade, how it was established, why it flourished and why it was eventually abolished.
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1
A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960
by Anna Schwartz & Milton Friedman -
2
Macroeconomic Effects from Government Purchases and Taxes
by Robert Barro -
3
Identifying Government Spending Shocks
by Valerie Ramey -
4
Essays on the Great Depression
by Ben Bernanke -
5
The Great Depression in the United States from a Neoclassical Perspective
by Harold Cole and Lee Ohanian
The best books on The Lessons of the Great Depression, recommended by Robert Barro
The best books on The Lessons of the Great Depression, recommended by Robert Barro
Harvard macroeconomist Robert Barro takes issue with some common assumptions about the Great Depression, and how America got out of it.
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1
Origin of Wealth: Evolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics
by Eric D. Beinhocker -
2
Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters
by Richard Rumelt -
3
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
by Michael Lewis -
4
Guns, Germs and Steel
by Jared Diamond -
5
The Wealth and Poverty of Nations
by David S Landes
The best books on Economics in the Real World, recommended by John Kay
The best books on Economics in the Real World, recommended by John Kay
Most people completing degrees in economics won’t have read these books, but they should, says British economist John Kay.
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1
Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About The World — And Why Things Are Better Than You Think
by Hans Rosling -
2
GDP: A Brief but Affectionate History
by Diane Coyle -
3
Gross Domestic Problem: The Politics Behind the World's Most Powerful Number
by Lorenzo Fioramonti -
4
The Great Escape: Health, Wealth, and the Origins of Inequality
by Angus Deaton -
5
Collapse
by Jared Diamond
The best books on GDP, recommended by David Pilling
The best books on GDP, recommended by David Pilling
As we try to make the world a better place, how does a measure that started as a way of mobilizing for war in the 17th century help? Can it be improved on? Financial Times journalist David Pilling talks us through the best books to think about gross domestic product, or GDP.
The Best Economics Books to Take on Holiday, recommended by Daniel Hamermesh
In this latest book, Spending Time, distinguished labour economist Daniel Hamermesh looks at how we spend time, our ‘most valuable resource.’ Here he suggests books worth spending your valuable time on this holiday, including an introductory economics textbook.
Best Economics Books for Kids, recommended by Yana van der Meulen Rodgers
Great books can introduce kids to economics at a young age, says Rutgers University economics professor Yana van der Meulen Rodgers. Here she picks some lovely story books for 5-10 year olds and explains the key economic concepts they illustrate.