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. Harvard 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.
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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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Free Trade Under Fire
by Douglas A Irwin -
2
A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960
by Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz -
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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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.
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 World in the Model: How Economists Work and Think
by Mary Morgan -
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Red Plenty
by Francis Spufford -
3
Never Let a Serious Crisis Go to Waste: How Neoliberalism Survived the Financial Meltdown
by Philip Mirowski -
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Economics and Utopia: Why the Learning Economy is Not the End of History
by Geoffrey Hodgson -
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
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.
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The Interesting Narrative
by Olaudah Equiano -
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Capitalism and Slavery
by Eric Williams -
3
The Rise of African Slavery in the Americas
by David Eltis -
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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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A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1960
by Milton Friedman and Anna Schwartz -
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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