Driving around the outskirts of almost any city for the first time and spotting yet another IKEA, or walking down its main shopping street and spotting another H&M, you might wonder if every economy in the world is going to end up looking exactly the same. But these apparent similarities also mask big differences in the way economies in different countries are set up. This section of our site aims to look at some of the world’s different economies and some of the economic challenges individual countries are facing.
Larry Summers recommends his best books on globalisation and Jennifer M Harris her best books on geoeconomics. Kaushik Basu recommends his best books for understanding the Indian economy and Victor Shih does the same for the Chinese economy. The Ghanaian economist, Ayittey discusses the challenges of African development and Barry Eichengreen choses his best books on the Euro. Jonathan Portes looks at Brexit.
We still have some way to go, but if you’re an economist from a country whose economy hasn’t been covered yet, please write to us: editor@fivebooks.com. And if you could make a reader list for us, explaining which books to read and why they’re important that would be even better!
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1
What Next: How to get the best from Brexit
by Daniel Hannan -
2
Brexit Beckons: Thinking ahead by leading economists
by Richard Baldwin (ed) -
3
Branching histories of the 2016 referendum and ‘the frogs before the storm’
by Dominic Cummings -
4
Brexit: Why Britain Voted to Leave the European Union
by Harold Clarke and Matthew Goodwin and Paul Whiteley -
5
Autumn
by Ali Smith
Jonathan Portes recommends the best things to read on Brexit
Jonathan Portes recommends the best things to read on Brexit
Why did Brexit happen? What does the future hold for Britain outside the European Union? Can trade economists help? The economist and former head of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, a non-partisan think tank, recommends the best books (and one blogpost) on Brexit.
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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1
Super Sad True Love Story
by Gary Shteyngart -
2
China's Superbank: Debt, Oil and Influence - How China Development Bank is Rewriting the Rules of Finance
by Henry Sanderson & Michael Forsythe -
3
Economic Statecraft
by David Allen Baldwin -
4
Network Power: The Social Dynamics of Globalization
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5
Spain in Our Hearts: Americans in the Spanish Civil War, 1936-1939
by Adam Hochschild
The best books on Geoeconomics, recommended by Jennifer M Harris
The best books on Geoeconomics, recommended by Jennifer M Harris
With its passion for neoliberal ideology, the US uses its economic weight clumsily in terms of foreign policy, says former state department official and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Jennifer M. Harris. Here she picks the best books for understanding the vital area of geoeconomics.
The best books on The Indian Economy, recommended by Kaushik Basu
Kaushik Basu, Professor of Economics at Cornell and former Chief Economist of the World Bank (2012-2016), says there’s a Gandhian way of evaluating society that takes account of both growth and inequality, and tells us why his job is an anthropologist’s dream come true. He picks the best books to understand India’s economy.
