Books by John Kay

The former international cricketer, author of a book on luck, and England’s national selector tells us about the chance happenings that have helped shape his life, for better or worse

Nearly every aspect of our life is determined by economics, and yet it’s easy to go through life understanding very little about it. Author and columnist Tim Harford (aka the ‘Undercover Economist’) introduces the best books to get you thinking like an economist.

We need to build an entirely new market system, not just patch up the old one, says economics commentator Anatole Kaletsky. He picks the best books to help us think about what form a new capitalism might take.

Lots of new economics books are published each year, catering to a range of readers. Many are aimed at non-economists, trying to explain what the subject is about. Others focus mainly on how economics has been interpreted or used by politicians, with lots of analysis of ‘neoliberalism’ in particular over the past few years. Within academia, economics is normally expressed in equations, with new work published in article form and only occasionally as books.

From how to channel the tribal instincts innate to Homo sapiens to the role of Silicon Valley in the future of warfare, the Financial Times book award—now in its 20th year—has a broad definition of what makes a good business book. FT journalist Andrew Hill, the prize’s organizer, talks us through the six excellent books that made the 2024 shortlist.