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Economics » Economic History

Browse book recommendations:

Economics

  • Behavioural Economics
  • Development Economics
  • Economic History
  • Finance
  • Financial Crisis
  • Globalisation & Inequality
  • New Books
  • World Economies

Traditionally neglected in university courses, economic history has made a comeback in the wake of the financial crisis, and so it’s no surprise we have an interview with former IMF chief economist Simon Johnson on why it matters.

Giving us their top choices of economics books are Emma Rothschild of Harvard, Peter Temin of MIT and the writer and journalist David Lynch. Professor Mark Blyth of Brown University chooses his favourites on how the world’s political economy works, and Michael Lind, author of Land of Promise: an Economic History of the United States, looks at the US.  The Nobel prize-winning economist Robert Barro discusses the lessons of the Great Depression and the author Niall Kishtainy talks to us about the history of economic thought, focusing mainly on the post-war period.

    The best books on Market Competition, recommended by Jason Furman

  • Read
    The best books on Market Competition - Saving Capitalism from the Capitalists by Luigi Zingales & Raghuram G Rajan

    1

    Saving Capitalism from the Capitalists
    by Luigi Zingales & Raghuram G Rajan

  • Read
    The best books on Market Competition - Exit, Voice, and Loyalty by Albert Hirschman

    2

    Exit, Voice, and Loyalty
    by Albert Hirschman

  • Read
    The best books on Market Competition - Antitrust Paradox by Robert H. Bork

    3

    Antitrust Paradox
    by Robert H. Bork

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    The best books on Market Competition - Lectures on Antitrust Economics by Michael D. Whinston

    4

    Lectures on Antitrust Economics
    by Michael D. Whinston

  • Read
    The best books on Market Competition - Radical Markets: Uprooting Capitalism and Democracy for a Just Society by E. Glen Weyl & Eric A. Posner

    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

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.

    Peter Temin on An Economic Historian’s Favourite Books

  • Read
    Peter Temin on An Economic Historian’s Favourite Books - Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty

    1

    Capital in the Twenty-First Century
    by Thomas Piketty

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    Peter Temin on An Economic Historian’s Favourite Books - The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander

    2

    The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
    by Michelle Alexander

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    Peter Temin on An Economic Historian’s Favourite Books - The Strange Career of Jim Crow by C. Vann Woodward

    3

    The Strange Career of Jim Crow
    by C. Vann Woodward

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    Peter Temin on An Economic Historian’s Favourite Books - A Theory of Economic History by John Hicks

    4

    A Theory of Economic History
    by John Hicks

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    Peter Temin on An Economic Historian’s Favourite Books - Feudal Society by marc bloch

    5

    Feudal Society
    by marc bloch

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.

    The best books on The History of Economic Thought, recommended by Niall Kishtainy

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    The best books on The History of Economic Thought - The World in the Model: How Economists Work and Think by Mary Morgan

    1

    The World in the Model: How Economists Work and Think
    by Mary Morgan

  • Read
    The best books on The History of Economic Thought - Red Plenty by Francis Spufford

    2

    Red Plenty
    by Francis Spufford

  • Read
    The best books on The History of Economic Thought - Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste: How Neoliberalism Survived the Financial Meltdown by Philip Mirowski

    3

    Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste: How Neoliberalism Survived the Financial Meltdown
    by Philip Mirowski

  • Read
    The best books on The History of Economic Thought - Economics and Utopia: Why the Learning Economy is Not the End of History by Geoffrey Hodgson

    4

    Economics and Utopia: Why the Learning Economy is Not the End of History
    by Geoffrey Hodgson

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    The best books on The History of Economic Thought - Rationalizing Capitalist Democracy: The Cold War Origins of Rational Choice Liberalism by S M Amadae

    5

    Rationalizing Capitalist Democracy: The Cold War Origins of Rational Choice Liberalism
    by S M Amadae

The best books on The History of Economic Thought, recommended by Niall Kishtainy

Many people feel dissatisfied with aspects of neoliberalism, but fewer know what it is or where it came from. Economic historian Niall Kishtainy recommends some of his favourite books on the history of economic thought, books that use intellectual history to examine issues confronting us in the real world.

    The best books on The Lessons of the Great Depression, recommended by Robert Barro

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    The best books on The Lessons of the Great Depression - A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960 by Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz

    1

    A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960
    by Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz

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    The best books on The Lessons of the Great Depression - Macroeconomic Effects from Government Purchases and Taxes by Robert Barro

    2

    Macroeconomic Effects from Government Purchases and Taxes
    by Robert Barro

  • Read
    The best books on The Lessons of the Great Depression - Identifying Government Spending Shocks by Valerie Ramey

    3

    Identifying Government Spending Shocks
    by Valerie Ramey

  • Read
    The best books on The Lessons of the Great Depression - Essays on the Great Depression by Ben Bernanke

    4

    Essays on the Great Depression
    by Ben Bernanke

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    The best books on The Lessons of the Great Depression - The Great Depression in the United States from a Neoclassical Perspective by Harold Cole and Lee Ohanian

    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

Harvard macroeconomist Robert Barro takes issue with some common assumptions about the Great Depression, and how America got out of it.

    The best books on How the World’s Political Economy Works, recommended by Mark Blyth

  • Read
    The best books on How the World’s Political Economy Works - The Passions and the Interests by Albert Hirschman

    1

    The Passions and the Interests
    by Albert Hirschman

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    The best books on How the World’s Political Economy Works - The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money by John Maynard Keynes

    2

    The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money
    by John Maynard Keynes

  • Read
    The best books on How the World’s Political Economy Works - The Great Transformation by Karl Polanyi

    3

    The Great Transformation
    by Karl Polanyi

  • Read
    The best books on How the World’s Political Economy Works - Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy by Barrington Moore

    4

    Social Origins of Dictatorship and Democracy
    by Barrington Moore

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    The best books on How the World’s Political Economy Works - The Rhetoric of Reaction by Albert Otto Hirschman

    5

    The Rhetoric of Reaction
    by Albert Otto Hirschman

The best books on How the World’s Political Economy Works, recommended by Mark Blyth

If you were the last person alive and had to leave a testament to how our world worked, which five books would you choose? Political economist Mark Blyth makes his ‘desert island’ choices.

    The best books on Why Economic History Matters, recommended by Simon Johnson

  • Read
    The best books on Why Economic History Matters - A History of Interest Rates by Sidney Homer, Richard Sylla

    1

    A History of Interest Rates
    by Sidney Homer, Richard Sylla

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    The best books on Why Economic History Matters - The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris

    2

    The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt
    by Edmund Morris

  • Read
    The best books on Why Economic History Matters - Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson

    3

    Why Nations Fail
    by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson

  • Read
    The best books on Why Economic History Matters - Eclipse by Arvind Subramanian

    4

    Eclipse
    by Arvind Subramanian

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    The best books on Why Economic History Matters - Red Ink by David Wessel

    5

    Red Ink
    by David Wessel

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 American Economic History, recommended by Michael Lind

  • Read
    The best books on American Economic History - The Elusive Republic by Drew R McCoy

    1

    The Elusive Republic
    by Drew R McCoy

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    The best books on American Economic History - From the American System to Mass Production, 1800-1932 by David A Hounshell

    2

    From the American System to Mass Production, 1800-1932
    by David A Hounshell

  • Read
    The best books on American Economic History - Technology and American Society by Gary Cross and Rick Szostak

    3

    Technology and American Society
    by Gary Cross and Rick Szostak

  • Read
    The best books on American Economic History - The Past and Future of America’s Economy by Robert D Atkinson

    4

    The Past and Future of America’s Economy
    by Robert D Atkinson

  • Read
    The best books on American Economic History - Bad Samaritans by Ha-Joon Chang

    5

    Bad Samaritans
    by Ha-Joon Chang

The best books on American Economic History, recommended by Michael Lind

The American economy has been driven by waves of technological change and the successful adoption of ideas from elsewhere. The author of Land of Promise tells us how it happened, and what history teaches us about the way ahead

    The best books on Economic History, recommended by Emma Rothschild

  • Read
    The best books on Economic History - Migration and Diaspora in Modern Asia by Sunil S Amrith

    1

    Migration and Diaspora in Modern Asia
    by Sunil S Amrith

  • Read
    The best books on Economic History - Poor Economics by Abhijit V Banerjee and Esther Duflo

    2

    Poor Economics
    by Abhijit V Banerjee and Esther Duflo

  • Read
    The best books on Economic History - River of Smoke by Amitav Ghosh

    3

    River of Smoke
    by Amitav Ghosh

  • Read
    The best books on Economic History - The Age of Capital:‭ ‬1848-1975 by Eric Hobsbawm

    4

    The Age of Capital:‭ ‬1848-1975
    by Eric Hobsbawm

  • Read
    The best books on Economic History - Adam Smith:‭ ‬An Enlightened Life by Nicholas Phillipson

    5

    Adam Smith:‭ ‬An Enlightened Life
    by Nicholas Phillipson

The best books on Economic History, recommended by Emma Rothschild

In time of economic crisis, studying the past can teach us much about the world economy today, says economic historian Emma Rothschild.

    The best books on Economic History, recommended by David J Lynch

  • Read
    The best books on Economic History - Lords of Finance by Liaquat Ahamed

    1

    Lords of Finance
    by Liaquat Ahamed

  • Read
    The best books on Economic History - The Reckoning by David Halberstam

    2

    The Reckoning
    by David Halberstam

  • Read
    The best books on Economic History - Secrets of the Temple by William Greider

    3

    Secrets of the Temple
    by William Greider

  • Read
    The best books on Economic History - Mr China by Tim Clissold

    4

    Mr China
    by Tim Clissold

  • Read
    The best books on Economic History - The Big Short by Michael Lewis

    5

    The Big Short
    by Michael Lewis

The best books on Economic History, recommended by David J Lynch

The author of When the Luck of the Irish Ran Out says the villains were reckless banks that binged on cheap capital to fuel a housing and credit bubble that was larger even than that in the US

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We ask experts to recommend the five best books in their subject and explain their selection in an interview.

This site has an archive of more than one thousand interviews, or five thousand book recommendations. We publish at least two new interviews per week.

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