Books by Albert Hirschman
“That shift away from a world in which entrepreneurship is exercised and social power gained primarily by oppressing people and taking their stuff, or making them work for you, to a wealthier, more sophisticated world based much more on win-win exchange is the meat of Hirschman’s book. It’s a look back on how European intellectuals reacted when, all of a sudden, it became possible to run a civilization based not on the passions for those we love and those we hate, but rather on the interests we have in all cooperating, even though we do not terribly care about each other. We’re all useful to each other and so we can live in peace. It’s a great book, a wonderful book.” Read more...
The Best Books on the Classical Economists
Brad DeLong, Economist
“Economics is largely the study of what the brilliant Albert Hirschman called ‘exit.’ If you don’t like a product, you stop buying it and instead purchase an alternative, exercising your ability to exit the product. Hirschman, however, points out that in society more broadly, and even in the economy specifically, ‘exit’ is not our only option—we also have voice.” Read more...
The best books on Market Competition
Jason Furman, Economist
“He is one of the early proponents of what in recent years has been revived as the political-economy approach to development.” Read more...
The best books on Economic Development
Pranab Bardhan, Economist
Interviews where books by Albert Hirschman were recommended
The best books on Economic Development, recommended by Pranab Bardhan
What is economic development? What does it take to make it happen? What can we learn from the days Britain was still a developing country? Eminent Indian economist, Pranab Bardhan, recommends the best books to better understand economic development.
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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.
The best books on Labour Unions, recommended by Richard B Freeman
Harvard economist Richard Freeman recommends the best books to get an understanding of the history and theory of labour unions.
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1
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.
The best books on Moral Economy, recommended by Will Davies
The sociologist Will Davies discusses five of the best books about moral economy: the study of norms, values, principles and ethics within the space of the economy.
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.
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.