Books by Leon Wansleben
The Rise of Central Banks: State Power in Financial Capitalism
by Leon Wansleben
The Rise of Central Banks is by Leon Wansleben, a sociologist at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, and traces the increasing power of central banks in determining economic policy in many Western countries since the 1970s. Central banks are run by technocrats or unelected officials. This protects them from populist pressures, but they play a huge role in the economy. This is an academic book (references appear in brackets), so while this is an important and interesting topic, this book is not for those without a prior interest in fiscal and monetary policy and the influence they have on our societies. (If you're interested in this topic but new to it, Unelected Power by Paul Tucker, formerly of the Bank of England, might be an easier starting point).
