Books by Jason Furman

The economic challenges we face today aren’t the result of temporary shocks but structural changes that we need to grapple with, argues Jason Furman, a professor at Harvard and formerly the chief economic adviser to Barack Obama. He recommends five books to get us started—including the future of the dollar, China’s growth model, falling fertility, household financial fragility, and the enduring insights of Adam Smith.

2024 was billed as the ‘year of elections’ but calling it the ‘year of economics’ might have been more apt as incumbent governments around the world were kicked out by high inflation, poor wage growth and continuing inequality. American economist Jason Furman recommends the best economics books of 2024, books that shed light on our current predicament and how to get out of it.

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.

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.