Economic history Books

Book SynopsisMoney provides a unique and illuminating perspective on the Middle Ages. In much of medieval Europe the central meaning of money was a prescribed unit of precious metal but in practice precious metal did not necessarily change hands and indeed coinage was very often in short supply. Money had economic, institutional, social, and cultural dimensions which developed the legacy of antiquity and set the scene for modern developments including the rise of capitalism and finance as well as a moralized discourse on the proper and improper uses of money. In its many forms - coin, metal, commodity, and concept - money played a central role in shaping the character of medieval society and, in turn, offers a vivid reflection of the distinctive features of medieval civilization. Drawing upon a wealth of visual and textual sources, A Cultural History of Money in the Medieval Age presents essays that examine key cultural case studies of the period on the themes of technologies, ideas, ritualTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Notes on Contributors Series Preface, Bill Maurer, University of California Irvine, USA Introduction: Approaching Medieval Money, Rory Naismith, University of Cambridge, UK 1. Money and its Technologies: The “Principles of Minting” in the Middle Ages, Oliver Volckart, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK 2. Money and its Ideas: Payment Methods in the Middle Ages, Laurent Feller, University of Paris 1 - Panthéon-Sorbonne, France 3. Money, Ritual, and Religion: Economic Value between Theology and Administration, Giacomo Todeschini, Italy 4. Money and the Everyday: Whose Currency? Richard Kelleher, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, UK 5. Money, Art, and Representation: The Powerful and Pragmatic Faces of Medieval Coinage, Rebecca R. Darley, Birkbeck, University of London, UK 6. Money and its Interpretation: Attitudes to Money in the Societas Christiana, Svein H. Gullbekk, Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo, Norway 7. Money and the Issues of the Age: The Plurality of Money, Rory Naismith, University of Cambridge, UK Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisFor a long time, everything revolved around bread. Providing more than half of people's daily calories, bread was the life-source of Europe for centuries. In the middle of 19th century, a third of household expenditure was spent on bread. Why, then, does it only account for 0.8% of expenditure and just 12% of daily calories today?In this book, Peter Scholliers delves into the history of bread to map out its defining moments and people. From the price revolution of the 1890s that led to affordable and pure white bread, to the taste revolution of the 1990s that ushered in healthy brown bread, he studies consumers, bakers and governments to explain how and why this food that once powered an entire continent has fallen by the wayside, and what this means for the modern age.From prices and consumption to legislation and technology, Scholliers shows how the history of bread has been shaped by subtle cultural shifts as well as top-down decisions from ruling bodies. From theTrade ReviewBread, a name that tastes ancient and "natural". But bread does not exist in nature. Since it was invented it has been a symbol of innovation and creativity. Bread is the perfect food, designed by humans for humans. After millennia, it continues to hold the secret of humanity. * Massimo Montanari, Professor of Medieval History, Bologna University, Italy *In a masterful and lively study, as rigorous as it is graceful, Scholliers insists on the essential : bread is at the core of public and private life, as much a political and social as a nutritional and gastronomical object, a powerful force of and for life, yet also a reminder of its fragility. * Steven Laurence Kaplan, Goldwin Smith Professor emeritus of European History, Cornell University, USA *Bread was, for centuries, the staple of most Europeans’ diets. Here Peter Scholliers weaves together economic and medical histories, the daily lives of workers, the histories of technology and consumption, to demonstrate how a simple item like a loaf of bread can trace historical change in all its complexity. * Rachel Rich, Reader in Modern European History, Leeds Beckett University, UK *Table of ContentsIntroduction Part I: The Consumer 1. Eating Bread 2. Types of Bread 3. Prices and Purchasing power 4. Acquiring Bread: Baking, Buying and Stealing 5. Calories, Kilos and Grams 6. Bad bread: Fraud, Additives and Riots Part II: The Baker 7. Artisanal Baking 8. Technology and Hygiene 9. The Factories 10. Wages, Costs and Profits 11. Image, Status and Wealth 12. Politics, Strikes and Consultations Part III: The Government 13. Grain Policy 14. Price Control 15. Fraud on the Track 16. School and Education 17. Committees, Councils, Institutes and Agencies Conclusion: Good Bread Glossary Bibliography Appendices Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Winner of the Best First Book Prize, Foundations of Political Theory section of the American Political Science Association""A fresh and splendidly clear guide to the intellectual history of monetary policy. . . . The Currency of Politics is an invaluable guide to why — and how to think about what comes next."---Felix Martin, Financial Times"Eich’s extraordinary book provides an essential guide to thinking about the politics of money." * Adam Tooze *"Eich offers a rich treatment of each historical episode. But the chapters on the two Englishmen, Locke and Keynes, stand out. . . . pathbreaking."---Jonathan Levy, Project Syndicate"Eich’s book is ultimately a call to revive democratic debate about money…this excellent book…does not tell us what to do, but he does show us something can be done."---Geoff Mann, New Statesman"A pathbreaking new intellectual history of monetary policy. In examining how key thinkers approached the economic crises of their respective times, Eich offers a map for navigating the politics of money today."---Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins, The Nation"Eich’s work is sure to be a landmark in political science. His argument is bold and ambitious; his writing clear and engaging; and his message timely, persuasive and imperative."---Erik Jones, Survival"A deep ex­amination of the theoretical and political foundations of money that rescues the money discus­sion from economists."---Pratap Bhanu Mehta, Open Magazine"An intellectual history of money that theoretically grounds the works of others working on democratizing money. The Currency of Politics is a great addition to the philosophy of money."---Valerie Schreur, Oeconomia"A very good book. . . . Eich takes us on a fascinating journey."---Paul Sagar, Perspectives on Politics"Exquisitely written."---Jorge González-Gallarza, The Critic"Eich’s contribution demarcates a new space for political thought on money, and brings together key theorists on the structuration of money both to show that political thought often has a direct effect on the type of monetary system that is maintained, and to show that democratic agency vis-a-vis money is often wilfully ignored."---Dominic Burbidge, Politics and Poetics"[The Currency of Politics] fits well into the growing critical debate on neoliberal policies that have dominated the economic discussion in the latest decades. . . . [and] helps us to understand that monetary policy must be the prerogative of a healthy and fruitful public and thus political debate."---Giampaolo Conte, The Journal of European Economic History

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Book SynopsisCentral banks are supposed to stabilize markets, yet decades of mounting central bank power have seen wave after wave of financial crisis. Leon Wansleben offers novel explanations for the rise of central banks and the problematic implications of their finance-dependent policies.Trade ReviewThe Rise of Central Banks shines light on the agency of bureaucrats and calls upon society and elected leaders to direct these actors’ efforts toward more progressive goals. * Politics Today *A laudable undertaking…Wansleben is breaking new ground. He has something to offer that you do not find in mainstream economic literature. -- Niels Bünemann * Central Banking *The Rise of Central Banks is a smart, well-researched book about central banks and their prominent role in economic governance during the recent era of financialized capitalism. Wansleben does a fine job weaving together many events, episodes, and details into a coherent story. Audiences interested in the Fed, central banking, economic policy, and financialization will certainly want to read this book. -- Bruce G. Carruthers, Northwestern UniversityThis is an impressive work that adds substantially to our scholarly understanding of modern central banks and why they have come to have such a dominant impact on our everyday lives. -- Kathleen R. McNamara, Georgetown UniversityToday’s economies are profoundly shaped by what central banks do, the decisions they take, and their blindspots. Wansleben’s superb book brings new depth, scholarship, and sophistication to the study of these hugely important organizations. -- Donald MacKenzie, University of EdinburghAmbitious and well-researched. Wansleben dissects the growing operational entanglements between monetarist governing techniques, the expansion of financial markets, and neoliberal economic policies in a world where central banks have become more powerful than ever. The outcome is a bloated financial sphere that is dangerously reliant on central banks’ actions to preserve its explosive power. A chilling, but incredibly important, account. -- Marion Fourcade, author of Economists and Societies: Discipline and Profession in the United States, Britain, and France, 1890s to 1990s

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Book SynopsisThe United States has just gone through the worst economic crisis in a generation. Why wasn't there more protest, as there was in other countries? During the United States' last great era of free-market policies, before World War II, economic crises were always accompanied by unrest. The history of capitalism, the economist Joseph Schumpeter warned in 1942, is studded with violent bursts and catastrophes. In The End of Protest, Alasdair Roberts explains how, in the modern age, governments learned to unleash market forces while also avoiding protest about the market's failures.Roberts argues that in the last three decades, the two countries that led the free-market revolutionthe United States and Britainhave invented new strategies for dealing with unrest over free market policies. The organizing capacity of unions has been undermined so that it is harder to mobilize discontent. The mobilizing potential of new information technologies has also been checked. Police forceTrade Review"Kudos to Cornell University Press for launching the series in order to engage the broader public about matters of the moment, such as the question of dissent."-Critical Margins

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Book SynopsisA Financial Times Economics Book of the Year A brilliant narrative of early capitalism's most famous scandal, a speculative frenzy that nearly bankrupted the British state during the hot summer of 1720 – and paradoxically led to the birth of modern finance. The South Sea Company was formed to trade with Asian and Latin American countries. But it had almost no ships and did precious little trade. Instead it got into financial fraud on a massive scale, taking over the government's debt and promising to pay the state out of the money received from the shares it sold. And how they sold. In the summer of 1720 the share price rocketed and everyone was making money. Until the carousel stopped, and thousands lost their shirts. Isaac Newton, Alexander Pope and others lost heavily. Thomas Levenson's superb account of the South Sea Bubble is not just the story of a huge scam, but is also the story of the birth of modern financial capitalism: the idea that you can invest in future prosperity and that governments can borrow money to make things happen, like funding the rise of British naval and mercantile power. These dreamers and fraudsters may have bankrupted Britain, but they made the world rich. Praise for Money For Nothing: 'A scholar who makes complicated and subtle matters not just accessible but fun. Utterly relevant to the 2008 financial crisis and 2020 pandemic' SIMON SEBAG MONTEFIORE 'Thoroughly researched and vibrantly written, Money For Nothing captures those heady, heartbreaking times, which still hold lessons for today' DAVID KAISER 'A gripping story of scientists and swindlers, all too pertinent to our modern world' JAMES GLEICK 'It's easy to look back and think of the South Sea bubblers, like the tulip-mad Dutch of the 1630s, as financially naive – until you remember how many people jumped in on various other more recent crazes (from Beanie Babies to Pets.com and Bitcoin). This is not a new tale, but Levenson tells it with a light touch' SPECTATORTrade ReviewSuperb, fascinating and totally timely, Money for Nothing is a gripping history of the South Sea Bubble by a scholar who makes complicated and subtle matters not just accessible but fun – the story of a world crisis with a flashy cast of grifters, scientists, politicians and charlatans that Levenson makes utterly relevant to the 2008 financial crisis and 2020 pandemic. Essential reading -- Simon Sebag MontefioreDoes a stockmarket crash and a plague sound somehow familiar? Leverson's new book is proof – very cleverly told – of how enlightening history can be. There is no excuse not to learn from the past -- Andrea WulfInspired by Isaac Newton's example, clever schemers sought to conquer the chaos of human affairs by abstracting financial value from tangible goods. Their calculations unleashed the notorious South Sea Bubble, which destroyed fortunes and roiled nations. Thoroughly researched and vibrantly written, Money for Nothing captures those heady, heartbreaking times, which still hold lessons for today -- David KaiserThomas Levenson is a brilliant synthesizer with a grand view of history. Here is the birth of modern finance amid catastrophe and fraud – a gripping story of scientists and swindlers, all too pertinent to our modern world -- James GleickA brilliant history of the South Sea Bubble, an astounding episode from the early days of financial markets that to this day continues to intrigue and perplex historians. Deeply researched and featuring a colorful cast of characters out of 18th century England – mathematical geniuses, unscrupulous financiers, greedy aristocrats, venal politicians – Money for Nothing is narrative history at its best, lively and fresh with new insights -- Liaquat AhamedThis erudite and entertaining history offers a fresh take on high finance * Publishers Weekly *An enthralling account of an economic revolution that emerged from a scandal * Kirkus Reviews *Levenson is very fluent in his descriptions... This is not a new tale, but Levenson tells it with a light touch' * Spectator *The book has helped me better understand a number of different institutions... If you want an embarkation point from which to understand the history of the City of London as a financial rather than simply mercantile or population centre then this book is a useful one, and one to whet your appetite' * London Historian's Blog. *A vivid account of the development of share trading in the coffee shops of Exchange Alley in the City, with fascinating asides such as Newton's extraordinarily modern management techniques when running the Royal Mint... A compelling read' * Financial Times. *Levenson is a talented writer * Money Week *A beautifully written account of the seminal bubble of capitalism * Financial Times *Levenson is a talented writer who does a good job explaining the complicated nature of the South Sea Company and how it paradoxically saved the British state from bankruptcy * Money Week *Levenson explored the murky tale in a wide ranging study of political intrigue, cultural attitudes and – his strength as a historian of science – the emergence of mathematical reasoning about the value of assets * BBC History Magazine *Levenson is very good on the deep history of the bubble... Building on recent scholarship and especially the work of his MIT colleague William Deringer, Levenson proposes instead that we see the era's scientific accomplishments and speculative bubbles as equal manifestations of a newly mathematical way of knowing and being' * TLS *

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Book SynopsisA sweeping history of the full range of human labor Few authors are able to write cogently in both the scientific and the economic spheres. Even fewer possess the intellectual scope needed to address science and economics at a macro as well as a micro level. But Paul Cockshott, using the dual lenses of Marxist economics and technological advance, has managed to pull off a stunningly acute critical perspective of human history, from pre-agricultural societies to the present. In How the World Works, Cockshott connects scientific, economic, and societal strands to produce a sweeping and detailed work of historical analysis. This book will astound readers of all backgrounds and ages; it will also will engage scholars of history, science, and economics for years to come.

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Book SynopsisSheelah Kolhatkar is a former hedge fund analyst and staff writer at The New Yorker, where she writes about Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and politics, among other things. She has appeared as a speaker and commentator on business and economics issues at conferences and on broadcast outlets including CNBC, Bloomberg Television, Charlie Rose, PBS NewsHour, WNYC and NPR. Her writing has also appeared in Bloomberg Businessweek, New York, The Atlantic, The New York Times and other publications.Trade ReviewA prodigious feat of reporting * Malcolm Gladwell *Fast-paced and filled with twists, Black Edge has the grip of a thriller. It is also an essential exposé of our times—a work that reveals the deep rot in our financial system. Everyone should read this book. -- David Grann, New York Times bestselling author of THE LOST CITY OF ZA tour de force of groundbreaking reporting and brilliant storytelling, a revealing inside account of how the Feds track a high-profile target—and, just as important, an unsettling portrayal of how Wall Street works today -- Jeffrey Toobin, New York Times bestselling author of AMERICAN HEIRESSBlack Edge is a real-life thriller about the government’s attempt to get the legendary trader Steve Cohen on insider trading charges—and the lengths to which he goes to elude them. Using deep reporting and top-notch storytelling, Sheelah Kolhatkar is able to shed new light on one of the least known and most fascinating characters on Wall Street. -- Bethany McLean, co-author of THE SMARTEST GUYS IN THE ROOMBlack Edge is not just a work of major importance, it is also addictively readable—and horrifyingly compelling. Sheelah Kolhatkar pulls back the curtain on the cheating, corruption, and skulduggery that underlie large swaths of the hedge fund industry and some of Wall Street’s most fabled fortunes. This book is as hard to put down as it is to stomach. -- Jane Mayer, New York Times bestselling author of DARK MONEYIf you liked James B. Stewart’s Den of Thieves, Sheelah Kolhatkar’s thrilling Black Edge should be next on your reading list. * The Wall Street Journal *A richly reported, entertaining tale about the cat-and-mouse game between the government and Cohen. -- Andrew Ross Sorkin * The New York Times Book Review *A lot of people do not trust Wall Street. They regard it as a moneymaking machine for those who work there, which has little interest in practice in its stated aim of channelling capital into businesses and helping them to grow for the broader benefit of society. For such sceptics, Steven Cohen is Exhibit A. -- John Gapper * Financial Times *A modern version of Moby-Dick, with wiretaps rather than harpoons. -- Jennifer Senior * The New York Times *Excellent * The Economist *

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Book SynopsisDrawing on economic, social, political, and intellectual history from medieval Europe through contemporary America and Israel, this title examines the ways in which thinking about capitalism and thinking about the Jews have gone hand in hand in European thought, and why anticapitalism and anti-Semitism have frequently been linked.Trade Review"In his slim essay collection Capitalism and the Jews, Jerry Z. Muller presents a provocative and accessible survey of how Jewish culture and historical accident ripened Jews for commercial success and why that success has earned them so much misfortune... While this book is ostensibly about 'the Jews,' Muller's most chilling insights are about their enemies, and the creative, almost supernatural, malleability of anti-Semitism itself. For centuries, poverty, paranoia and financial illiteracy have combined into a dangerous brew--one that has made economic virtuosity look suspiciously like social vice."--Catherine Rampell, New York Times Book Review "In four fascinating essays, Muller sensitively examines how centuries of nomadism and diaspora have shaped Jewish financial life... Muller backs up his bold assertion--that capitalism has been the most important force in shaping the fate of the Jews in the modern world--with elegance and care."--Publishers Weekly "It's a subject rarely given its due in respectable circles. Yet an appreciation for market economics does run deep in Judaic tradition and helps explain the prominence of Jewish bankers, from Mayer Amschel Rothschild to Lloyd Blankfein. In concise prose free of academic jargon, Muller ticks off factors that gave Jews what he calls 'behavioral traits conducive to success in capitalist society.'"--Calev Ben-David, Bloomberg "Muller, a noted historian, takes a fascinating look at how Jews have shaped capitalism and how capitalism has shaped the Jewish experience from medieval times to today."--Fareed Zakaria GPS "Muller is keen to rescue from apologists, ideologues, and anti-Semites the exploration of what he describes as the Jews' 'special relationship' with capitalism... This book is both scholarly and speculative, analysing the sociology and the anti-Semitic pseudo-sociology of the Jews' participation in capitalism. It will not be the last word on the subject, but it is a genuine contribution to it."--Anthony Julius, New Statesman "A work of intellectual history... Muller is acutely aware of the irony that Jews have been attacked sometimes for being the quintessence of capitalism and sometimes for being the quintessence of anticapitalism. The merit of his book is that it takes seriously the need to understand how historical circumstances bring this about."--Robert Solow, Moment Magazine "According to Jerry Z. Muller, professor of history at Catholic University, capitalism has been the most important force in shaping the fate of the Jews in the modern world... Muller focuses squarely on the relation between them in four interlocking essays that explore, respectively, Western thinking about Jews and capitalism, the Jews' own responses to capitalism, Jewish involvement in Communist movements, and the rise of ethnic nationalism that came about as a response to capitalism's relentless march in the 19th century and onward."--Steven Menashi, Commentary "A model of clear thinking and useful information about how accurately to understand the long and complicated relationship between Jews, capitalism, and anti-Semitism. A valuable read."--Ira Stoll, The Future of Capitalism blog "In a 1972 lecture, 'Capitalism and the Jews,' Nobel laureate Milton Friedman presented a paradox: Jews 'owe an enormous debt to free enterprise and competitive capitalism,' he said, but 'for at least the past century the Jews have been consistently opposed to capitalism and have done much on an ideological level to undermine it.' According to historian Jerry Muller, Friedman's paradox may make for a great headline, but it cannot be substantiated. Only the first premise is true--there is little doubt that capitalism has benefited Jews. And as Muller shows, there is equally little doubt that Jews have excelled at developing capitalism in the West."--Guy Sorman, City Journal "Taboos can't last--and now, a real historian has broken this one. Jerry Muller, himself Jewish and a professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington, has published a book of four essays, Capitalism and the Jews, that sets out to explain why Jews have enjoyed such exceptional success in modern capitalist societies such as ours."--Tim Colebatch, The Age "Muller, a historian at Catholic University, has given us four lectures on economics aspects of Jewish life in the modern world... [T]hey are thoughtful and occasionally insightful."--Peter Temin, EH.net "Capitalism and the Jews is a work of scholarship, but it's an especially accessible and illuminating one. It is a book that every Jewish capitalist, actual or aspiring, out to read and ponder."--Jonathan Kirsch, Jewish Journal of Greater L.A. "Muller (history, Catholic Univ.; Adam Smith in His Time and Ours), a well established historian of capitalism, is brave to tackle this subject, laden as much with the place of Jewish people in the markets as with the trappings and traps of anti-Semitism... Stimulating."--Scott H. Silverman, Library Journal "A stellar work of intellectual history."--Sheldon Kirshner, Canadian Jewish News "A well-documented, historical investigation into an often hidden subject that the author makes easily accessible."--Abe Novick, Baltimore Jewish Times "If you want to understand why Jews have done phenomenally well in capitalist societies and at the same time have been some of capitalism's harshest critics, this history will help you understand."--Nick Schulz, National Review "A great book."--William Easterly, Aid Watch blog "Jerry Z. Muller's recent book is neither a polemic nor a setup for a bad lounge joke but is instead a compelling, sober essay about an elephant that has been sitting in the middle of Western history for the past two centuries at least: Jews have been inextricably woven into the history and evolution of capitalism... A fascinating history."--Zachary Karabell, Truthdig.com "[T]his book introduces some basic issues and ideas about Jewish economic history and can serve as a provocative starting point for learning more about the subject."--Choice "[A] short book, which could be said to provide the economic background of the Jewish catastrophe of the 20th century. Muller's work, though focused on cultural and not environmental differences, might remind some readers of Jared Diamond's 'Guns, Germs, and Steel' (1997), which explains the basis for the gaps in material success among regions around the world. In both books, the authors, in laying bare the historical processes, help to disabuse readers of their prejudices."--Steven Silber, Haaretz "In the meantime, in a lean and compact volume, Muller has offered a rich and valuable history filled with insights about the character of capitalism and the sources of anti-Semitism--both of which could hardly be more timely subjects."--Yuval Levin, Jewish Review of Books "Muller provides a refreshingly frank account of the major role of Jews on both sides of capitalism's ideological barricades. His brisk and lively book is a welcome sign that historians are moving beyond a stale preoccupation with challenging stereotypes, and are now more willing to engage candidly and directly with the economic dimension of Jewish history."--Adam Sutcliffe, Jewish Quarterly "Although Muller examines mostly European areas, he occasionally cites examples from the United States. His book can be thus read as an attempt to deepen the mutual understanding of historical realities in Europe and North America. The strongest point of Capitalism and the Jews lies in Muller's multifocal perspective and interdisciplinary erudition."--Pnina M. Rubesh, European Legacy "[T]his small book is filled with interesting material and presents its subject in a clear and lively fashion."--Marty Roth, Outlook on Books "The book offers an interesting and new perspective into the economic history of the Jews, which is a by-product of their religious and cultural history."--R. Balashankar, Organiser "Capitalism and the Jews is an important study that affords readers a lucid and extremely accessible analysis of what is no doubt a central topic in Jewish and western history. It is a welcome addition that joins recent efforts to make us more aware of the significance of the economy for our understanding of the modern Jewish experience."--Gideon Reuveni, Enterprise and Society "Providing a fresh look at an important but frequently misunderstood subject, this book will interest anyone who wants to understand the Jewish role in the development of capitalism, the role of capitalism in the modem fate of the Jews, or the ways in which the story of capitalism and the Jews has affected the history of Europe and beyond, from the medieval period to our own."--World Book Industry "Muller's book can be highly recommended. Stylistically polished, accessible, informative and provocative--it is a little gem."--Jeremy Leaman, Journal of Modern Jewish Studies "Capitalism and the Jews is a must book for our times."--Betty Mohr, Le Bon Travel & Culture "[P]rovocative and inspiring essays... Muller's approach is far reaching."--Franziskus von Boeselager, Moving the SocialTable of ContentsINTRODUCTION: Thinking about Jews and Capitalism 1 CHAPTER ONE: The Long Shadow of Usury Capitalism and the Jews in Modern European Thought 15 CHAPTER TWO: The Jewish Response to Capitalism Milton Friedman's Paradox Reconsidered 72 CHAPTER THREE: Radical Anticapitalism The Jew as Communist 133 CHAPTER FOUR: The Economics of Nationalism and the Fate of the Jews in Twentieth-Century Europe 189 Acknowledgments 219 Notes 225 Index 255

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewWinner of the 2016 Douglass C. North Research Award, Society for Institutional and Organizational Economics (SIOE) Shortlisted for the 2016 Ralph Waldo Emerson Award, Phi Beta Kappa Society One of Flavorwire's 10 Must-Read Academic Books for 2015 One of HistoryBuff.com's 10 Can't-Miss History Books of 2015 "Superb."--Armand Marie Leroi, New York Times "In the late fourth century B.C., Aristotle and his students collected the constitutions of more than 150 [...] city-states. The scholar who would today follow in Aristotle's footsteps has to deal with a far more formidable mass of data. Few of today's scholars control more of this data, or write about it more insightfully, than Josiah Ober. [T]hose willing to put in the effort will learn much from the deep meditations of an expert historian and political philosopher."--James Romm, Wall Street Journal "[T]his could turn out to be Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire for classical Greece."--Jonathan Sturgeon, Flavorwire "Ober marshals a wealth of new data to make the case for a much different view of Greek history ... there was something distinct about the Greek world, he argues. What set the Greeks apart, he says, was their choice of a particular kind of order--and the cultural attitudes that went with it. Citizen self-government. Equality of standing among persons. Fair and open institutions. These ideas, unusual in history, were well developed in the Greek world, Ober notes. If we care about them, he says, we should pay attention."--Marc Parry, Chronicle of Higher Education "[Ober's] central argument is that the achievements of Greek civilization were rooted in its prosperity, and that was the result of a rough economic and political equality... [He] ranges over a half millennium of Greek history, from the 8th to the 3rd centuries BCE, seeking the roots of Greek "efflorescence"--its material and cultural flourishing... [The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece] is rife with parallels to the present."--Brian Bethune, Macleans "An attractive, informative, and timely picture of Greece from Homer to Aristotle... It's an absorbing story full of excitement, drama and hope."--Evaggelos Valiantos, Huffington Post "A sharp and insightful economic history."--Daisy Dunn, History Today [The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece] is by far [Ober's] most ambitious work to date, a magisterial tour of the successes and failures of various city-states throughout the Greek world from the archaic through the Hellenistic periods... The thrust of the book is not just provocative but persuasive."--Adriaan Lanni, The New Rambler "This book is a groundbreaking examination of what Ober (political science, Stanford) calls the 'efflorescence' of ancient Greece, which, divided into some 1,100 city-states as it was, developed a unified, dominant culture."--Choice "His narrative history of Greek efflorescence is engaging and full of insights."--Richard Seaford, Literary Review "A thought-provoking book with great depth. As the great political theorists of the modern era have always known, the ancient Greek experience provides immense empirical material to mine for insights into political science: how we design rules of politics to secure human freedom and well-being. We ignore the experience of classical civilization to our own disadvantage."--Jason Sorens, The American Conservative "This challenging book is like no other history of the ancient world... [Ober] produces some engaging and striking analyses of familiar historical episodes."--American Historical Review "Intriguing... [Y]ou can think of this book as how an economist might think about ancient Greece."--Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution "[Ober's] work will be of interest to anyone who is serious about the history of political economy, or who wants to know more about the relationship between democracy, economic growth, and human flourishing, whether in the ancient or modern world... The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece ... will richly reward a serious lay reader. One of its most appealing qualities is its multidisciplinary approach, which is the fruit of Ober's extensive and generously acknowledged collaboration with scholars from around the world as well as with his Stanford colleagues in a number of fields, including the sciences. In this respect, it points in a direction that future humanities scholars will need to go if they, too, wish to flourish."--David Wharton, Weekly Standard "A fresh and vigorous account about the roots of democracy."--Brian A. Pavlac, Canadian Journal of HistoryTable of ContentsList of Images and Tables xi Preface xiii Acknowledgments xxi Abbreviations xxv 1 The Efflorescence of Classical Greece 1 2 Ants around a Pond: An Ecology of City-States 21 3 Political Animals: A Theory of Decentralized Cooperation 45 4 Wealthy Hellas: Measuring Efflorescence 71 5 Explaining Hellas' Wealth: Fair Rules and Competition 101 6 Citizens and Specialization before 550 BCE 123 7 From Tyranny to Democracy, 550-465 BCE 157 8 Golden Age of Empire, 478-404 BCE 191 9 Disorder and Growth, 403-340 BCE 223 10 Political Fall, 359-334 BCE 261 11 Creative Destruction and Immortality 293 Appendix I: Regions of the Greek World: Population, Size, Fame 317 Appendix II: King, City, and Elite Game, Josiah Ober and Barry Weingast 321 Notes 329 Bibliography 367 Index 401

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Estoril Global Issues Distinguished Book Prize 2013In 1412, Europe was a miserable backwater ravaged by plague, bad sanitation and incessant war, while the Orient was home to dazzling civilizations. Yet, somehow, the West came to dominate the Rest for most of the next half millennium.In this vital, brilliant book, Niall Ferguson reveals the six ''killer applications'' that the Rest lacked: competition, science, property rights, medicine, consumerism and the work ethic. And he asks: do we still have these winning tools? Or is this the end of Western ascendancy?''Brilliantly written, full of wit and virtuosity, stuffed with memorable lines and gorgeous bits of information. A great read'' The Times''A dazzling history of Western ideas ... epic'' Economist''Vivid and fascinating'' Daily Telegraph''Superb ... brings history alive ... dazzling'' Independent''This is sharp. It feels urgent. Ferguson ... twists his knife with great literary brio'' Andrew Marr, Financial TimesTrade ReviewFerguson is the most brilliant British historian of his generation ... he writes with splendid panache * The Times *One of the world's leading historians -- Hamish McRae * Independent *Civilization is another masterpiece ... a pulsing energy suffuses his account [and] fascinating facts burst like fireworks on every page -- Dominic Lawson * Sunday Times *This is sharp. It feels urgent. Ferguson, with a properly financially literate mind, twists his knife with great literary brio -- Andrew Marr * Financial Times *A dazzling history of Western ideas * Economist *

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Book SynopsisFranklin D. Roosevelt is frequently described as one of the greatest presidents in American history, remembered for his leadership during the Great Depression and Second World War. Antony Sutton challenges this received wisdom, presenting a controversial but convincing analysis. Based on an extensive study of original documents, he concludes that: * FDR was an elitist who influenced public policy in order to benefit special interests, including his own. * FDR and his Wall Street colleagues were 'corporate socialists', who believed in making society work for their own benefit. * FDR believed in business but not free market economics. Sutton describes the genesis of 'corporate socialism' - acquiring monopolies by means of political influence - which he characterises as 'making society work for the few'. He traces the historical links of the Delano and Roosevelt families to Wall Street, as well as FDR's own political networks developed during his early career as a financial speculator and bond dealer. The New Deal almost destroyed free enterprise in America, but didn't adversely affect FDR's circle of old friends ensconced in select financial institutions and federal regulatory agencies. Together with their corporate allies, this elite group profited from the decrees and programmes generated by their old pal in the White House, whilst thousands of small businesses suffered and millions were unemployed. Wall Street and FDR is much more than a fascinating historical and political study. Many contemporary parallels can be drawn to Sutton's powerful presentation given the recent banking crises and worldwide governments' bolstering of private institutions via the public purse. This classic study - first published in 1975 as the conclusion of a key trilogy - is reproduced here in its original form. (The other volumes in the series are Wall Street and the Rise of Hitler and Wall Street and the Bolshevik Revolution.)Trade Review'Sutton comes to conclusions that are uncomfortable for many businessmen and economists. For this reason his work tends to be either dismissed out of hand as 'extreme' or, more often, simply ignored.' - Richard Pipes, Baird Professor Emeritus of History, Harvard University (quoted from Survival Is Not Enough: Soviet Realities and America's Future)Table of ContentsPart I Roosevelts and Delanos The Wall Street lineage of the Roosevelt and Delano families Politics in the Bonding Business FDR as vice president of the Fidelity & Deposit Company (1921-28) FDR: International Speculator Profiteering during the German hyperinflation of the 1920s FDR: Corporate Promoter FDR as a deal maker during the 1920s Part II The Genesis of Corporate Socialism Making society work for the few Prelude to the New Deal The Federal Reserve System and the War Industries Board Roosevelt, Hoover and the Trade Council An attempt to reform the construction industry Wall Street Buys The New Deal Bankers and industrialists back FDR instead of Hoover Part III FDR and The Corporate Socialists The Swope Plan and the N.R.A. FDR, Man on the White Horse The Smedley Butler Affair (1934) The Corporate Socialists at 120 Broadway, New York City Many of the leading players in the club FDR and the Corporate Socialists Willing accomplice of the rich and powerful Appendices Appendix A: The Swope Plan Blueprint for FDR's National Recovery Administration (NRA) Appendix B: Sponsors of Plans Presented for Economic Planning Selected Bibliography

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Book SynopsisAlmost since the event itself in 1757, the English East India Company''s victory over the forces of the nawab of Bengal and the territorial acquisitions that followed has been perceived as the moment when the British Empire in India was born. Examining the Company''s political and intellectual history in the century prior to this supposed transformation, The Company-State rethinks this narrative and the nature of the early East India Company itself. In this book, Philip J. Stern reveals the history of a corporation concerned not simply with the bottom line but also with the science of colonial governance. Stern demonstrates how Company leadership wrestled with typical early modern problems of political authority, such as the mutual obligations of subjects and rulers; the relationships among law, economy, and sound civil and colonial society; the constitution of civic institutions ranging from tax collection and religious practice to diplomacy and warmaking; and the nature of jurisdiction and sovereignty over people, territory, and the sea. Their ideas emerged from abstract ideological, historical, and philosophical principles and from the real-world entanglements of East India Company employees and governors with a host of allies, rivals, and polyglot populations in their overseas plantations. As the Company shaped this colonial polity, it also confronted shifting definitions of state and sovereignty across Eurasia that ultimately laid the groundwork for the Company''s incorporation into the British empire and state through the eighteenth century.Challenging traditional distinctions between the commercial and imperial eras in British India, as well as a colonial Atlantic world and a trading world of Asia, The Company-State offers a unique perspective on the fragmented nature of state, sovereignty, and empire in the early modern world.Trade ReviewWith great skill, Stern has extracted from the archives a cogent and highly engaging narrative of events that even participants found highly tremendously confusing. He deftly conveys the world of the East India company, marshaling striking visual materials and wonderfully evocative quotations from a wide array of Company documents. * Radical History Review *A thought-provoking reinterpretation that will compel us to reexamine assumptions about colonial companies in general. * H-Net *In a work of deep erudition and striking originality Philip Stern deftly demolishes many of the categories by which we try to organize our work: are states and companies really different animals, were the early modern Atlantic and Indian Oceans distinct worlds, what, if anything, was new about the post-Plassey British Indian empire? We are politely but firmly directed back to the drawing board. * P. J. Marshall, King's College London *In The Company-State, Philip Stern has made an important contribution not only to studies of empire, but to early modern history in general. This is an important and innovative reconsideration of the East India Company as a political actor in the first phase of its career. This incisively crafted book will be widely read, cited, and debated. * Sanjay Subrahmanyam, University of California, Los Angeles *A bracing re-thinking of the early modern East India Company and its role in shaping English practices of empire, governance, 'trade,' and polity, Philip Stern's book will replace all previous studies on the topic. * Kathleen Wilson, Stony Brook University *Table of ContentsIntroduction: "A State in the Disguise of a Merchant" ; Part I: Foundations ; Chapter 1 "Planning & Peopling Your Colony": Building a Company-State ; Chapter 2 "A Sort of Republic for the Management of Trade": The Jurisdiction of a Company-State ; Chapter 3 "A Politie of Civill and Military Power": Diplomacy, War, and Expansion ; Chapter 4 "Politicall Science and Martiall Prudence": Political Thought and Political Economy ; Chapter 5 "The Most Sure and Profitable Sort of Merchandice": Protestantism and Piety ; Part II: Transformations ; Chapter 6 "Great Warrs Leave Behind them Long Tales": Crisis and Response in Asia after 1688 ; Chapter 7 Auspicio Regis et Senatus Angliae": Crisis and Response in Britain after 1688 ; Chapter 8 "The Day of Small Things": Civic Governance in the New Century ; Chapter 9 "A Sword in One Hand & Money in the Other": Old Patterns, New Rivals ; Conclusion "A Great and Famous Superstructure" ; Abbreviations ; Glossary ; Notes ; Index

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Book Synopsis''This book flips your world upside down. Daniel Markovits argues that meritocracy isn''t a virtuous, efficient system that rewards the best and brightest. Instead it rewards middle-class families who can afford huge investments in their children''s education ... Frightening, eye-opening stuff'' The Times, Books of the Year Even in the midst of runaway economic inequality and dangerous social division, it remains an axiom of modern life that meritocracy reigns supreme and promises to open opportunity to all. The idea that reward should follow ability and effort is so entrenched in our psyche that, even as society divides itself at almost every turn, all sides can be heard repeating meritocratic notions. Meritocracy cuts to the heart of who we think we are.But what if, both up and down the social ladder, meritocracy is a sham? Today, meritocracy has become exactly what it was conceived to resist: a mechanism for the concentration and dynastic transmission of wealth and privilege across generations. Upward mobility has become a fantasy, and the embattled middle classes are now more likely to sink into the working poor than to rise into the professional elite. At the same time, meritocracy now ensnares even those who manage to claw their way to the top, requiring rich adults to work with crushing intensity, exploiting their expensive educations in order to extract a return. All this is not the result of deviations or retreats from meritocracy but rather stems directly from meritocracy''s successes.This is the radical argument that The Meritocracy Trap prosecutes with rare force, comprehensive research, and devastating persuasion. Daniel Markovits, a law professor trained in philosophy and economics, is better placed than most to puncture one of the dominant ideas of our age. Having spent his life at elite universities, he knows from the inside the corrosive system we are trapped within, as well as how we can take the first steps towards a world that might afford us both prosperity and dignity.

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Book SynopsisA History of Money looks at how money as we know it developed through time. Starting with the barter system, the basic function of exchanging goods evolved into a monetary system based on coins made up of precious metals and, from the 1500s onwards, financial systems were established through which money became intertwined with commerce and trade, to settle by the mid-1800s into a stable system based upon Gold. This book presents its closing argument that, since the collapse of the Gold Standard, the global monetary system has undergone constant crisis and evolution continuing into the present day.

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Book SynopsisSchumpeter made his mark as the prophet of incessant change. Drawing on all of Schumpeter’s writings, including many intimate diaries and letters never before used, this biography paints the full portrait of a magnetic figure who aspired to become the world’s greatest economist, lover, and horseman—and admitted to failure only with the horses.Trade ReviewThis well-paced and beautifully written book explains not only Schumpeter's work but also the fast-changing phenomenon of modern capitalism. McCraw brings out Schumpeter's energy and charisma as well as the power of his ideas, quite skillfully linking the economist's colorful and adventurous personal life with the development of his views. This book is a fine tribute to a great thinker. -- Harold James, Princeton UniversityA welcome book—a truly penetrating biography of the most influential theorist of finance capitalism. -- Edmund S. Phelps, 2006 Nobel Laureate in EconomicsA most compelling portrait of a complex man who has had a profound influence on how we think about entrepreneurship. -- Amar Bhidé, Columbia University[Schumpeter's] private life was no less fascinating than his public message. In Prophet of Innovation, Thomas McCraw--emeritus professor of history at the Harvard Business School--artfully weaves the two together. -- Dan Seligman * Wall Street Journal *In this biography, Pulitzer Prize winner McCraw neatly divides his emphasis between Schumpeter's professional and personal life. He portrays his subject as a somewhat self-absorbed insatiable scholar not entirely comfortable with his contemporaries, which might explain marriages and affairs with much older and younger women, as well as his affinity with students and often-strained relations with colleagues of his own generation. McGraw lucidly addresses Schumpeter's economic theories through an examination of his letters, lectures, addresses, articles, and major works...[An] insightful and highly readable biography. -- Lawrence R. Maxted * Library Journal (starred review) *[A] persuasive and eloquent biography. -- Jay Hancock * Baltimore Sun *Much honored as an economic prophet, Joseph Schumpeter has had to wait half a century after his death for this splendid full-dress biography covering his ideas, life, and times...[This is] a fat, learned biography by Thomas McCraw, one of America's most respected business historians, the author of a Pulitzer prize-winning history of the rise of regulation. He has found the perfect subject in Schumpeter. He succeeds in getting inside the economist's head, explaining not just what he thought but why he thought it. Beyond this, he also succeeds in painting a portrait of his times. Fin de siècle Vienna, Weimar Germany, Harvard University before and after the first world war: all come to life on these pages. * The Economist *Prophet of Innovation: Joseph Schumpeter and Creative Destruction is a well-written and entrancing look at one of the twentieth century's most important economic and political thinkers. McCraw's book may rightly take its place as one of the two or three best biographies of an economist ever written...[It] is so splendid because it succeeds on so many different levels. If the book were simply an account of the Harvard economics department, it would stand as a lasting and significant contribution to the history of economic thought. Alternatively, it is one of the best treatments of what it was like for European intellectuals to migrate to the United States. Or are you interested in why Austria fell apart during the 1920s, and how someone with as little real world experience as Schumpeter became Minister of Finance? The book is also a love story, and an account of how a possibly dysfunctional man can nonetheless find romantic happiness after repeated failures and tragedies. Last but not least it is an intellectual history...Every year there are three or four non-fiction books that have to be read, and this is one of them. -- Tyler Cowen * American.com *McCraw...frames his narrative confidently and writes beautifully...Best of all, McCraw is an extremely good interpreter of Schumpeter's published work. -- David Warsh * economicprincipals.com *An extraordinary new biography. Prophet of Innovation by Thomas K. McCraw chronicles the life of one of the 20th century's most original and insightful scholars...Like his contemporary and frequent rival John Maynard Keynes, Schumpeter makes for a rich biographical subject. Keynes received the treatment he deserved from Lord Robert Skidelsky's magisterial multi-volume biography. McCraw's effort, similarly, is worthy of Schumpeter. -- Nick Schulz * National Review *McCraw's triumph is to tell...readers quite as much as we need to know about Schumpeter in a lucid and well-paced narrative, while also supplying, for more rigorous scholars, no fewer than two hundred pages of endnotes...McCraw successfully passes off the life of a professor of economics as a story that fully complements its undoubted intellectual significance with a tantalizing human interest. -- Peter Clarke * London Review of Books *McCraw doesn't get lost in the baroque details of Schumpeter's story--how many economists ever fought a duel?--or in the arcana of his theories, achieving a balance that his brilliant and restless subject rarely did in life. * New Yorker *A thinker as multifaceted as Schumpeter demands much of a biographer, and in Prophet of Innovation: Joseph Schumpeter and Creative Destruction, Thomas McCraw delivers...McCraw not only excels at conveying the innovation and excitement in Schumpeter's work, he keeps readers riveted to the story of the economist's life, and some of the twists are almost novelistic...[An] outstanding biography. -- Daniel McCarthy * American Conservative *It's no small feat to make a jaunty read out of the life of an economist dead more than 50 years, and Thomas K. McCraw has done just that in his impressive new biography of Joseph Schumpeter. -- Kevin R. Kosar * Weekly Standard *[Schumpeter] deserves more recognition and McCraw's book is to be welcomed on that account. -- Pat McArdle * Irish Times *Prophet of Innovation is an immensely entertaining read. -- Marisa Morrison * Washington Times *Although Schumpeter died in 1950, McCraw is right to insist that his contributions to our understanding of the economies in which we live are still vital today. -- Peter Timlin * Harvard Magazine *Books on the lives of the great economists might not, at first blush, set the blood coursing. Yet Robert Skidelsky's masterly three-volume biography of John Maynard Keynes proved how engrossing such a life could be. It is high praise to say that Thomas McCraw's biography of Joseph Schumpeter, Prophet of Innovation, has some of the same quality and appeal...McCraw, who has written the definitive biography of his subject, supplies many testimonials to Schumpeter's genius and influence from both his day and our own. -- Robin Blackburn * The Nation *[McCraw] has written an impressive and thoughtful biography of one of the most significant economists of the 20th century. Although widely regarded as a man of no small ego, Schumpeter can justifiably lay claim to effecting considerable scholarly debate in a wide range of academic backgrounds. Schumpeter’s analysis of economic development and business cycles, his notion of the process and significance of creative destruction, and his views on entrepreneurial activities continue to influence generations of economists and social scientists. McCraw’s thorough, insightful biography draws on an array of public and private papers to explain Schumpeter’s scholarly development and increasing sway, from his early years in Vienna to Bonn and later to his tenure at Harvard. This engaging scholarly work provides substance and context and is well worth a close read by both students and faculty. -- T.E. Sullivan * Choice *McCraw’s book on Schumpeter is an absorbing read, with short chapters, lots of personal detail and historical scene setting, and an important anti-Galbraithian economic theme. -- Deirdre McCloskey * Reason *An excellent, thorough and smoothly written biography of Joseph Schumpeter, the greatest economist of the 20th century. Too bad most politicos--and economists--don't fully grasp his insights. -- Steve Forbes * Forbes *Those seeking some escape from the deluge of "Keynes the Comeback Kid" will enjoy a refresher on that other brilliant economist of his generation, Joseph Schumpeter. Thomas K. McCraw's brilliant biography of the economist who best understood the turbulence of markets and "creative destruction" is all the more relevant as a credit crisis-induced recession unfolds. This biography is the clearest and most comprehensive guide to Schumpeter's life and work and the turbulence of his time which has, like the classic business cycle, come round again. -- Bill Jamieson * The Spectator *It's the lively and penetrating prose of the book itself that make its appearance in paperback a cause for rejoicing. Reading it is certainly time well-invested. -- Abraham Benrubi * openlettersmonthly.com *Although he died 60 years ago, Schumpeter's ideas about capitalism still resonate, including the belief that no business, no matter how successful, should assume it will be around forever. * Worth *As Thomas McCraw’s comprehensive and well-written biography convincingly shows, Schumpeter succeeded in becoming the ‘prophet of innovation’ by pioneering the vision of a superproductive world of continuing competitive struggle in a nexus of more or less open financial and economic markets. It’s never easy to make economics come alive on the page, particularly for readers not steeped in the discipline, but McCraw does his best to balance rigor and accessibility. He gives careful attention to the various elements of Schumpeter’s life, focusing, naturally, on his work… McCraw’s biography is a major step toward Schumpeter’s restoration in the pantheon of modern economists. -- Victor Zarnowitz * Conference Board Review *Table of Contents* Preface * Part I: L'Enfant Terrible, 1883--1926: Innovation and Economics * Prologue: Who He Was and What He Did *1. Leaving Home *2. Shaping His Character *3. Learning Economics *4. Moving Out *5. Career Takeoff *6. War and Politics *7. Gran Rifiuto *8. Annie *9. Heartbreak * Part II: The Adult, 1926--1939: Capitalism and Society * Prologue: What He Had Learned *10. New Intellectual Directions *11. Policy and Entrepreneurship *12. Between Two Worlds *13. Harvard *14. Suffering and Solace * Part III: The Sage, 1939--1950: Innovation, Capitalism, and History * Prologue: How and Why He Embraced History *15. Business Cycles, Business History *16. Letters from Europe *17. To Leave Harvard? *18. Against the Grain *19. The Courage of Her Convictions *20. Alienation *21. Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy *22. War and Perplexity *23. Introspection *24. Honors and Resurgence *25. Toward the Mixed Economy *26. History of Economic Analysis *27. A Principle of Indeterminateness *28. L'Envoi * Epilogue: The Legacy * Notes * Acknowledgments * Illustration Credits * Index

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Book SynopsisHow top traders made huge profits during the most momentous market events of the past century Financial and commodity markets are characterized by periodic crashes and upside explosions. In retrospect, the reasons behind these abrupt movements often seem very clear, but generally few people understand what''s happening at the time. Top traders and investors like George Soros or Jesse Livermore have stood apart from the crowd and capitalized on their unique insights to capture huge profits. Engaging and informative, The Greatest Trades of All Time chronicles how a select few traders anticipated market eruptions?from the 1929 stock market crash to the 2008 subprime mortgage meltdown?and positioned themselves to excel while a majority of others failed. Along the way, author Vincent Veneziani describes the economic and financial forces that led to each market cataclysm and how theseindividuals perceived what was happening beforehand and why they decided to place big bets, Table of ContentsAcknowledgments xiii About the Author xv Introduction xvii Chapter 1 J. Kyle Bass: Timing is Everything 1 The Back Story 1 A Few Definitions 2 Bass Asks Why 4 Learning from the Past 6 Shorting Subprime Loans 7 The Best Position 8 The Effects of Abuse 11 Who Was Watching? 13 Re-creating Bass’s Trading Strategies 17 Bass’s Top Traits 17 Chapter 2 James Chanos: The Real King of Enron 21 Enter Enron 21 Really Looking at Enron 23 The Best Position 26 Recreating Chanos’s Trading Strategies 28 A More Recent Example 28 Chanos’s Top Traits 30 Chapter 3 Paul Tudor Jones II: Legendary Global Macro Trader 31 Following a Genius 31 The Path of Greatness 32 Starting Out 33 Knowing All the Markets 35 Global Macro Trading 36 Elliot Wave Theory 38 More Keys to Jones’s Success 40 Success beyond Trading 43 Recreating Jones’s Trading Strategies 43 Jones’s Top Traits 44 Chapter 4 John Templeton: Legendary Mutual Fund Manager 47 What Made Templeton Famous 47 Templeton’s Life before Investing 49 Educational Aspirations 50 The Married Life 52 Templeton’s Big Move 53 Back to New York 54 Looking to the Future, and the Templeton Growth Fund 55 Templeton’s Second Marriage and Fund 56 The Bahamas 57 Recreating Templeton’s Trading Strategies 58 Templeton’s Top Traits 59 Chapter 5 Jesse Livermore: Legendary Speculator 61 Livermore’s History 61 At Home in New York 63 Fame and Fortune 63 The Panic of 1907 64 The Crash of 1929 65 Livermore’s Tragic End 66 An Example of Livermore’s Influence Today 68 Recreating Livermore’s Trading Strategies 69 Livermore’s Top Traits 69 Chapter 6 John Paulson: The Greatest Trade of All Time 73 Paulson’s Early Career 73 Paulson & Co. 74 The Greatest Trade 74 Recreating Paulson’s Trading Strategies 79 Paulson’s Top Traits 81 Chapter 7 George Soros: From Humble Beginnings to World Trader 83 Soros’s Famous Trades 84 The Hardships of a Trading Genius 87 Going to School in London 88 Work in New York 90 Joining the Big Leagues 91 Finding Himself 93 Crashing from Success 95 A New Protégé 97 Onto the World Stage 98 The Backlash 100 A Conflicted Mind 101 A New Era 101 Recreating Soros’s Trading Strategies 102 Soros’s Top Traits 103 Chapter 8 David Einhorn: A Company’s Worst Nightmare 105 Allied is Not an Ally 105 Lucky Lehman 108 The Great Beyond 110 Recreating Einhorn’s Trading Strategies 111 Einhorn’s Top Traits 112 Chapter 9 Martin Schwartz: From Amateur to Superstar 115 Start Small, Go Big 115 Trading Like a Rock Star 117 Winding Down 118 Recreating Schwartz’s Trading Strategies 120 Schwartz’s Top Traits 121 Chapter 10 John Arnold: Master of Energy 123 Success at Enron 123 Centaurus Energy 124 The Explosion 126 Recreating Arnold’s Trading Strategies 127 Crude Oil 127 Natural Gas 128 Arnold’s Top Traits 130 Chapter 11 More Great Trades: Phillip Falcone, David Tepper, Andrew Hall, Greg Lippmann 131 Phillip Falcone 131 Recreating Falcone’s Trading Strategies 134 David Tepper 135 Recreating Tepper’s Trading Strategies 136 Andrew Hall 138 Recreating Hall’s Trading Strategies 139 Greg Lippmann 141 Recreating Lippmann’s Trading Strategies 143 In Summary 144 Notes 147 Glossary 149 References 151 Helpful Web Sites 157 Index 161

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Book SynopsisFor a century and a half artists and intellectuals of Europe have scorned the bourgeoisie. Applying a tradition of "virtue ethics" to our lives in modern economies, this title affirms American capitalism without ignoring its faults and celebrates the bourgeois lives we live, without supposing that they must be lives without ethical foundations.Trade Review"Deirdre McCloskey's unfashionable, contrarian, and compelling manifesto in favor of what she calls the bourgeois virtues starts with an uncompromising 'apology' for how private property, free labor, free trade, and prudent calculation are the font of most ethical good in modern society, not a moral threat to it....She writes with wonderful ease. Her style is conversational and lively, sometimes even cheeky, so that even the toughest concepts seem palatable." - Matt Ridley, Wall Street Journal "An impressive collection of intellectual riches." - Alan Ryan, New York Review of Books"

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Book SynopsisFrom colonial history to the present, Americans have passionately, even violently, debated the nature and the character of money. The author provides a deep history and a penetrating analysis of American thinking about money and the ways that this ambivalence unexpectedly intertwines with race.Trade Review"Michael O'Malley's new book is a magnificent piece of scholarship on a topic that is at once timely and surprising. He shows our twin national obsessions - money and race - dancing together across economic policy reports, the pages of literary fiction, the stage, the screen, and the airwaves. I recommend this book wholeheartedly." (Benjamin Reiss, Emory University)"

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Book SynopsisClear, insightful, and nondogmatic, this book gives us a new appreciation for one of our most ubiquitous institutions.Trade Review"There could be no better guide to the modern view of markets than John McMillan's book." -- Joseph E. Stiglitz, Nobel prize winner in economics

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Book SynopsisChina will replace the United States as the world''s dominant power. In so doing, it will not become more western but the world will become more Chinese. Jacques argues that we cannot understand China in western terms but only through its own history and culture. To this end, he introduces a powerful set of ideas including China as a civilization-state, the tributary system, the Chinese idea of race, a very different concept of the state, and the principle of contested modernity. First published in 2009 to widespread critical acclaim - and controversy - ''When China Rules the World: The End of the Western World and the Rise of a New Global Order'' has sold a quarter of a million copies, been translated into eleven languages, nominated for two major literary awards, and has been the subject of an immensely popular TED talk. In the three years since the first edition was published, the book has transformed the debate about China worldwide and proved remarkably prescient.In this greatly expanded and fully updated paperback edition, with nearly three-hundred pages of new material backed up by the latest statistical data, Martin Jacques renews his assault on conventional thinking about China''s ascendancy, showing how its impact will be as much political and cultural as economic, thereby transforming the world as we know it.Trade ReviewBy far the best book on China to have been published in many years, and one of the most important inquiries into the nature of modernisation. Jacques's comprehensive and richly detailed analysis will be an indispensable resource for anyone who wants to understand contemporary China -- John Gray * New Statesman *Provocative ... stimulating ... full of bold but credible predictions ... I suspect it will long be remembered for its foresight and insight -- Michael Rank * Guardian *This important book, deeply considered, full of historical understanding and realism, is about more than China. It is about a twenty-first-century world no longer modelled on and shaped by North Atlantic power, ideas and assumptions. I suspect it will be highly influential -- Eric HobsbawmJacques's book will provoke argument and is a tour de force across a host of disciplines -- Mary Dejevsky * The Independent *[An] exhaustive, incisive exploration of possibilities that many people have barely begun to contemplate about a future dominated by China. ... [Jacques] has written a work of considerable erudition, with provocative and often counterintuitive speculations about one of the most important questions facing the world today. And he could hardly have known, when he set out to write it, that events would so accelerate the trends he was analyzing. -- Joseph Kahn * The New York Times Book Review *A very forcefully written, lively book that is full of provocations and predictions -- Fareed Zakaria * GPS, CNN *[A] compelling and thought-provoking analysis of global trends.... Jacques is a superb explainer of history and economics, tracing broad trends with insight and skill -- Seth Faison * The Washington Post *The West hopes that wealth, globalization and political integration will turn China into a gentle giant... But Jacques says that this is a delusion. Time will not make China more Western; it will make the West, and the world, more Chinese * The Economist *

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Book SynopsisReissued with a new foreword to mark the centenary of Harold Wilson's birth, Ben Pimlott''s classic biography combines scholarship and observation to illuminate the life and career of one of Britain''s most controversial post-war statesmen.Harold Wilson is one of the most enigmatic personalities of recent British history. He held office as Prime Minister for longer than any other Labour leader, and longer than any other premier in peacetime apart from Mrs Thatcher. His success at winning General Elections four in all has so far not been matched. His grasp of economic policy was better than that of any other Prime Minister, and he enjoyed a high reputation among foreign leaders. Yet, in retrospect, he seems a master tactician rather than a strategist and he is regarded today with more curiosity than respect, when he is not treated with contempt.Trade Review‘One of the great political biographies of the century’ A.N. Wilson, Evening Standard ‘Admirable and engrossing … Professor Pimlott’s picture of life at Number 10 and the strife within is vivid and unforgettable’ Daily Telegraph ‘A masterly piece of political writing’ New Statesman ‘The narrative gallops along, sweeping the reader with it in a rush of excitement. A mass of complex detail is marshalled with the art that conceals art’ Times Literary Supplement ‘Fascinating … Pimlott the X-ray has produced a work of formidable penetration’ Observer ‘His narrative is quite outstanding – clear, thoughtful and gripping … Some biographies enter the political discourse at once, thanks to their innate qualities and lucky timing. There are so many echoes of the Wilson years in the politics of today that this happy fate must surely belong to Pimlott’s book’ Andrew Marr, Independent

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Temin is a professional economist, and his book glows with the fervour of the true believer."--Peter Thonemann, Times Literary Supplement "[T]his important book should be a challenge to ancient economic historians of all persuasions to engage seriously with both economic theory and comparative history, as well as with its specific claims about the development and performance of the Roman Empire."--Neville Morley, Sehepunkte "In The Roman Market Economy Peter Temin accomplishes the quintessential task of the economic historian: to take shards of pottery, folios of brittle parchment, and patinated tools and fashion from them a credible, comprehensive and vivid picture of a society long gone."--Plamen Ivanov, LSE Review of Books "The Roman Market Economy effectively demonstrates the elegance and simplicity of economic demonstration. But Temin's methodological point would have been more persuasive had it shown that an economic methodology can lead to new, or challenge old, understandings of the ancient economy."--Sitta von Reden, Journal of Interdisciplinary HistoryTable of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments ix 1. Economics and Ancient History 1 Part I: Prices *Introduction: Data and Hypothesis Tests 27 *2. Wheat Prices and Trade in the Early Roman Empire 29 *3. Price Behavior in Hellenistic Babylon 53 *Appendix to Chapter 3 66 *4. Price Behavior in the Roman Empire 70 Part II: Markets in the Roman Empire *Introduction: Roman Microeconomics 95 *5. The Grain Trade 97 *6. The Labor Market 114 *7. Land Ownership 139 *8. Financial Intermediation 157 Part III: The Roman Economy *Introduction: Roman Macroeconomics 193 *9. Growth Theory for Ancient Economies 195 *10. Economic Growth in a Malthusian Empire 220 *Appendix to Chapter 10 240 *11. Per Capita GDP in the Early Roman Empire 243 References 263 Index 289

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Book SynopsisIn the 1840s, La Crosse, Wisconsin, was barely more than a trading post nestled on the banks of the Mississippi River. But by 1900 the sleepy frontier town had become a thriving city. Hinterland Dreams tracks the growth of this community and shows that government institutions and policies were as important as landscapes and urban boosters in determining the small Midwestern city''s success. The businessmen and -women of La Crosse worked hard to attract government support during the nineteenth century. Federal, state, and municipal officials passed laws, issued rulings, provided resources, vested aldermen with financial and regulatory power, and created a lasting legal foundation that transformed the city and its economy. As historian Eric J. Morser demonstrates, the development of La Crosse and other small cities linked rural people to the wider world and provided large cities like Chicago with the lumber and other raw materials needed to grow even larger. He emphasizes the rTrade Review"An enjoyable and innovative look into the forging of American individualism and exceptionalism." * Urban History *"From the perspective of a small city in the Midwest, Morser impressively contributes to our understanding of how the 'hinterland dreams' of a small city could affect regional development." * Journal of American History *"Good history occasionally intersects with good storytelling to create a remarkable result. This book is one such happy achievement. . . . Fascinating . . . Highly recommended." * Choice *"Hinterland Dreams is a clearly written, well organized, and thoroughly researched work. Urban history has focused on the giants like Chicago. Smaller cities have largely been neglected until now. By examining La Crosse, Wisconsin, Morser breaks new ground and offers a needed reminder of the importance of government in urban development." * Jon C. Teaford, Purdue University *Table of ContentsPrologue: Professor Turner's Audience Part I. Paving the Way Chapter One. Red Bird's Tale Chapter Two. A Story of Settlement Chapter Three. Politics and Pine Part II. Boosting Municipal Power Chapter Four. Iron Tracks to the City Chapter Five. "The Most Necessary Reformes" Part III. New Economic Voices Chapter Six. From White Beaver to Working Man Chapter Seven. Fredericka's World Conclusion. "A City of Bustling Trade" Notes Index Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisFor the appendixes mentioned in the book, Click Here.In this innovative and ambitious global history, distinguished economic historian Amiya Kumar Bagchi critically analyzes the processes leading to the rise of the West since the sixteenth century to its current position as the most prosperous and powerful group of nations in the world. Integrating the history of armed conflict with the history of competition for trade, investment, and markets, Bagchi explores the human consequences for people both within and outside the region. He characterizes the emergence and operation of capitalism as a system driven by wars over resources and markets rather than one that genuinely operates on the principle of free markets. In tracing this history, he also charts what happened to the people who came under its sway during the last five centuries. Bagchi thus broadens our understanding of the nature and history of capitalism and challenges the fetishism of commodities that limits the perspective of most economic historians. The book also challenges the Eurocentrism that still underlies the conceptual framework of many mainstream historians, joining earlier narratives that chronicle the history of human beings as living persons rather than as puppets serving the abstract cause of economic growth. His unflinching examination of the human costs of developmentnot only in the colonial periphery but in the core nationsincludes not only economic processes and issues of inequality within and among nations but also the intertwining of economics and war-making on a world scale. The book also contributes to our knowledge of how and in what sequence human health has been shaped by public health care, sanitation, modern medicine, income levels and nutrition. Written with extraordinary range and depth, Perilous Passage will change the ways in which we think about many of the largest issues in world history and development.Trade ReviewA good deal that we have seen before is still or again relevant to today's global capitalism, and Bagchi usefully reminds us of how many of these parallels are harrowing rather than hopeful; one hopes this book will reach the people who believe the stories Bagchi debunks and enrich a vital set of debates. -- Kenneth L. Pomeranz, University of Chicago * Economic and Political Weekly *Explores the numerous ways the armed ascendancy of European capital has impacted the human development of the nonwhite dependencies of Europe and the Europeans themselves. Discusses human development and capitalist growth; capitalist competition and human development in Europe; the world beyond Europe in the age of the emergence of European dominance; and the antisystemic struggles, wars, and challenges to global capital. * Journal of Economic Literature *This stimulating synthesis . . . has an excellent bibliography, incorporates recent specialist work in global economic history, and is genuinely erudite. A valuable reference for all world historians . . . Highly recommended. * CHOICE *A hard-headed examination in facts and figures of how capitalism has insidiously but inexorably destroyed human happiness and ravaged our ecological system. . . . A compelling and thoughtful account with the lucidity of argument of someone compressing the essence of a lifetime's research into a philosophical framework. * The Statesman *Magisterial. . . . [Bagchi] presents a comprehensive comparative picture of the historical economic development of China, India, and Japan, and their relation to what happened in Europe and North America. It is hard to suggest another work that does this in as small a space, so clearly, and based on such extensive acquaintance with the empirical literature. . . . It is refreshing to have Bagchi’s voice added to the rather small list of important works on the origins and development of the modern world. . . . One can only hope that the book will have a wide international reading public. -- Immanuel Wallerstein, Fernand Braudel Center, Yale University * Monthly Review *Bagchi has written a great book, a history of human development as he calls it, which offers a fascinating account of global capitalism as it evolved over a period of four centuries. . . . Writing a 'grand history' as Bagchi has done will inevitably create controversy . . . but this does not in any way diminish the significance of this monumental history of the human costs of economic growth. * Development and Change *An ambitious work that essays to rethink the extent to which the transition to capitalism did not accomplish significant human development until well into the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. . . . Bagchi's 'human development' frame is one that stimulates and appropriately outrages. * Journal of World History *An impressive book that, in the tradition of world systems analysis and dependency theory, challenges Eurocentric understandings of capitalism. . . . This book makes an important contribution to that struggle. * Science & Society *[Bagchi] challenges Eurocentric views on the rise of capitalism and argues that Europeans gained a decisive advantage over China and India thanks only to the maturing of the machine-based Industrial Revolution in the nineteenth century. * International Review Of Social History *Amiya Kumar Bagchi's Perilous Passage is a book that deserves our attention in this historical moment. It is born of our moment and offers us crucial intellectual resources in our attempts to understand the beast we must confront. Perilous Passage is a global history and in many respects perhaps one of the first truly global histories of our epoch to appear. . . . Bagchi's Perilous Passage is a weapon in the intellectual arsenal of social justice activists everywhere. . . . Perilous Passage may contribute to the development of a newer kind of understanding that will allow us to begin undoing the layers of injustice, ecological destruction, and human immiseration such ascendancy has created. * Labour *A combative and spirited book telling the story of the economic emergence of the contemporary world in a radically different way from the standard accounts. It will not end debates, but begin them in a robust way, which surely is the function of fine 'alternative history.' -- Amartya Sen, Harvard UniversityTable of ContentsPart I: Conceptual Issues: Human Development and Capitalist Growth Chapter 1: The History of Human Development as the Subject of History Chapter 2: The Construction of the European Miracle Chapter 3: Profit Seeking under Actually Existing Capitalism and Human Development Part II: Capitalist Competition and Human Development in Europe Chapter 4: Combat for Dominance Among the Western European Countries Since the Sixteenth Century Chapter 5: Population Growth and Mortality Between the Sixteenth and Nineteenth Centuries: A First Look Chapter 6: The Netherlands: Rise and Fall of a Hegemonic Power Chapter 7: The Delayed Transition of Europe and North America to a Low-Mortality Regime Chapter 8: Literacy in Western Europe Since the Sixteenth Century Part III: Non-European Peoples in the Age of Emergence of European Dominance Chapter 9: Economic Development and the Quality of Life in China Between the Sixteenth and Eighteenth Centuries Chapter 10: India under Mughal Rule and After Chapter 11: Conducting Trade in Asia Before and After the European Advent Chapter 12: Reconsidering Japanese Exceptionalism Chapter 13: Capitalist Competition, Colonialism, and the Physical Well-Being of Non-European Peoples Chapter 14: The Civilizing Mission and Racialization: From the Native Americans to the Asians Chapter 15: The Civilizing Mission in Lands Taken by the European Settlers from the Original Inhabitants Chapter 16: Intercontinental Resource Flows Sustaining the Ascent of the European Powers Chapter 17: Colonial Tribute and Profits, 1870s Onward Chapter 18: Demographic Disasters in the Colonies and Semi-Colonies in the High Noon of European Colonialism Part IV: The Twentieth Century: Anti-Systematic Struggles, Wars, and Challenges to Global Capital Chapter 19: Setting the Stage for Megawars Chapter 20: Revolution, Nazism, Japanese Militarism and the Second World War Chapter 21: Imperialism and Wars in the Late Twentieth Century Chapter 22: Capitalism and Uneven Development in the Twentieth Century Chapter 23: Destruction and Renewal in the Global Order of Imperialism and Neoliberalism Chapter 24: Contradictions, Challenges, and Resistance

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Book SynopsisIn The Reckoning, award-winning historian Jacob Soll shows how the use and misuse of financial bookkeeping has determined the fates of entire societies. Time and again, Soll reveals, good and honest accounting has been a tool to build successful companies, states and empires. Yet when it is neglected or falls into the wrong hands, accounting has contributed to cycles of destruction that continue to this day. Combining rigorous scholarship and fresh storytelling, The Reckoning traces the surprisingly powerful influence of accounting on financial and political stability, from the powerful Medici bank in the 14th century Italy to the 2008 financial crisis.

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewWinner of the 2016 Douglass C. North Research Award, Society for Institutional and Organizational Economics (SIOE) Shortlisted for the 2016 Ralph Waldo Emerson Award, Phi Beta Kappa Society One of Flavorwire's 10 Must-Read Academic Books for 2015 One of HistoryBuff.com's 10 Can't-Miss History Books of 2015 "Superb."--Armand Marie Leroi, New York Times "In the late fourth century B.C., Aristotle and his students collected the constitutions of more than 150 [...] city-states. The scholar who would today follow in Aristotle's footsteps has to deal with a far more formidable mass of data. Few of today's scholars control more of this data, or write about it more insightfully, than Josiah Ober. [T]hose willing to put in the effort will learn much from the deep meditations of an expert historian and political philosopher."--James Romm, Wall Street Journal "[T]his could turn out to be Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire for classical Greece."--Jonathan Sturgeon, Flavorwire "Ober marshals a wealth of new data to make the case for a much different view of Greek history ... there was something distinct about the Greek world, he argues. What set the Greeks apart, he says, was their choice of a particular kind of order--and the cultural attitudes that went with it. Citizen self-government. Equality of standing among persons. Fair and open institutions. These ideas, unusual in history, were well developed in the Greek world, Ober notes. If we care about them, he says, we should pay attention."--Marc Parry, Chronicle of Higher Education "[Ober's] central argument is that the achievements of Greek civilization were rooted in its prosperity, and that was the result of a rough economic and political equality... [He] ranges over a half millennium of Greek history, from the 8th to the 3rd centuries BCE, seeking the roots of Greek "efflorescence"--its material and cultural flourishing... [The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece] is rife with parallels to the present."--Brian Bethune, Macleans "An attractive, informative, and timely picture of Greece from Homer to Aristotle... It's an absorbing story full of excitement, drama and hope."--Evaggelos Valiantos, Huffington Post "A sharp and insightful economic history."--Daisy Dunn, History Today [The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece] is by far [Ober's] most ambitious work to date, a magisterial tour of the successes and failures of various city-states throughout the Greek world from the archaic through the Hellenistic periods... The thrust of the book is not just provocative but persuasive."--Adriaan Lanni, The New Rambler "This book is a groundbreaking examination of what Ober (political science, Stanford) calls the 'efflorescence' of ancient Greece, which, divided into some 1,100 city-states as it was, developed a unified, dominant culture."--Choice "His narrative history of Greek efflorescence is engaging and full of insights."--Richard Seaford, Literary Review "A thought-provoking book with great depth. As the great political theorists of the modern era have always known, the ancient Greek experience provides immense empirical material to mine for insights into political science: how we design rules of politics to secure human freedom and well-being. We ignore the experience of classical civilization to our own disadvantage."--Jason Sorens, The American Conservative "This challenging book is like no other history of the ancient world... [Ober] produces some engaging and striking analyses of familiar historical episodes."--American Historical Review "Intriguing... [Y]ou can think of this book as how an economist might think about ancient Greece."--Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution "[Ober's] work will be of interest to anyone who is serious about the history of political economy, or who wants to know more about the relationship between democracy, economic growth, and human flourishing, whether in the ancient or modern world... The Rise and Fall of Classical Greece ... will richly reward a serious lay reader. One of its most appealing qualities is its multidisciplinary approach, which is the fruit of Ober's extensive and generously acknowledged collaboration with scholars from around the world as well as with his Stanford colleagues in a number of fields, including the sciences. In this respect, it points in a direction that future humanities scholars will need to go if they, too, wish to flourish."--David Wharton, Weekly Standard "A fresh and vigorous account about the roots of democracy."--Brian A. Pavlac, Canadian Journal of HistoryTable of ContentsList of Images and Tables xi Preface xiii Acknowledgments xxi Abbreviations xxv 1 The Efflorescence of Classical Greece 1 2 Ants around a Pond: An Ecology of City-States 21 3 Political Animals: A Theory of Decentralized Cooperation 45 4 Wealthy Hellas: Measuring Efflorescence 71 5 Explaining Hellas' Wealth: Fair Rules and Competition 101 6 Citizens and Specialization before 550 BCE 123 7 From Tyranny to Democracy, 550-465 BCE 157 8 Golden Age of Empire, 478-404 BCE 191 9 Disorder and Growth, 403-340 BCE 223 10 Political Fall, 359-334 BCE 261 11 Creative Destruction and Immortality 293 Appendix I: Regions of the Greek World: Population, Size, Fame 317 Appendix II: King, City, and Elite Game, Josiah Ober and Barry Weingast 321 Notes 329 Bibliography 367 Index 401

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Book SynopsisWhat can we learn from East Asian and European countries that have fostered enduring cultures of thrift over the past two centuries? This title tells how other nations aggressively encouraged their citizens to save by means of special savings institutions and savings campaigns.Trade Review"Garon makes a powerful case that savings isn't about culture. It's policy... You'll think about savings policies differently after [you] pick up a copy of Beyond Our Means."--Christopher Farrell, economics editor of Marketplace Money "Professor Garon offers brilliant scholarship, engaging reading, and some practical insights for dealing with our current financial crisis worldwide. An insightful and provocative book that ... will be a unique and important volume for historians, policymakers, and the general public."--Claude Ury, San Francisco Book Review "How the Anglo-world came to live 'beyond their means ... while the world saves' is the big question of Sheldon Garon's fascinating book. It could not be more timely. Readers who worry that it might be too technical, do not fear. This is a history of flesh and blood, as Garon reclaims the topic from the economists. Facts and figures are surrounded by real people and rich illustrations that convey how passionate societies came to be about saving. Postal saving has never been so sexy."--Frank Trentmann, BBC History Magazine "Garon's policy recommendations could help shift the national trend towards saving more and position Americans towards greater financial health."--Worth "[O]ne of the world's leading authorities on the history of saving."--Joshua Rothman, Boston Globe "[A] fascinating new book... Garon believes the tide can turn, and offers some levelheaded policy suggestions for how America can restore a lasting balance between spending and saving."--Larry Cox, King Features Weekly Service "[A] very important book for critics of capitalism... Garon explains in an ambitious book that roams across centuries and continents ... why much of Europe and Asia embraced, and stuck with, a savings culture while the US first adopted and then abandoned one. It's intriguing social history."--Stephen Matchett, Australian "Garon's story is interesting and informative when focused on the history of small saving and is a recommended read."--Thomas F. Cargill, Pacific Affairs "This book is a model for how historians might re-engage with matters of economy and business using the insights and tools developed during the cultural turn."--American Historical Review "This book is a model for how historians might re-engage with matters of economy and business using the insights and tools developed during the cultural turn."--Kenneth Lipartito, American Historical Review "Garon has provided an account that shows, as with the study of consumption, the limitations of economic understandings of this routine aspect of human behaviour. It is doubtful that there will now be a scholarly turn to savings on a level equal to the outpouring of work on consumer society that has occurred over the last thirty years. But should there be so, then Beyond Our Means would be an excellent place to start."--Matthew Hilton, Social History "Transnational history at its most compelling, Beyond Our Means reveals why some nations save so much and others so little."--World Book Industry "Beyond Our Means is a big book that is very engagingly written, and it deserves a wide general readership. It concerns modern international history in general, though it grows out of work in Japanese history... The kind of constructive reaching out to wider audiences shown in this book is a model for scholars in the various fields of Japan studies."--Mark Metzler, Journal of Japanese Studies "[A] historian of modern Japan, driven by his concerns for America's financial future, has devoted years of research to writing a global history of saving, and he has produced a superb book... [A] timely history book of great contemporary relevance [that] has already embarked on a journey in new directions for public policy and global historical studies."--Elya J. Zhang, Reviews in American HistoryTable of ContentsIntroduction 1 Chapter 1: The Origins of Saving in the Western World 17 Chapter 2: Organizing Thrift in the Age of Nation-States 48 Chapter 3: America the Exceptional 84 Chapter 4: Japanese Traditions of Diligence and Thrift 120 Chapter 5: Saving for the New Japan 143 Chapter 6: Mobilizing for the Great War 168 Chapter 7: Save Now, Buy Later: World War II and Beyond 194 Chapter 8: "Luxury is the Enemy": Japan in Peace and War 221 Chapter 9: Postwar Japan's National Salvation 255 Chapter 10. Exporting Thrift, or the Myth of "Asian Values" 292 Chapter 11. "There IS Money. Spend It": America since 1945 317 Chapter 12. Keep on Saving? Questions for the Twenty-fi rst Century 356 Acknowledgments 377 Appendix 381 Abbreviations 383 Notes 385 Selected Bibliography 435 Index 449

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Book SynopsisBy helping readers understand the financial history of this period and the way banking shaped the society in which ordinary Americans lived and worked, this book broadens and deepens our knowledge of the Early American Republic.Trade ReviewThis is a brisk, well-researched tour of how the American finance and banking sector got its start.—Financial HistoryMurphy has provided what should be the go-to source for anyone looking to understand the differences among savings banks, investment banks, and commercial banks in pre-Civil War America; to know what it meant for banks to provide discounts on commercial paper; and to know what terms like fractional reserve, independent treasury, bimetallism, shinplasters, wildcat banks, and bills of exchange meant.—Civil War Book ReviewMurphy has written what this financial historian considers a sound and reliable introductory or companion text to early American banking that is both engaging and easy-to-read, and at the same time broadly consistent with recent economic research on the topics covered.—EH.netIt [Other People's Money] does much to further our understanding of an important feature of international capital markets, and it raises crucial policy issues.—EH.NetThe strengths of this work are numerous. In addition to narrating some intriguing vignettes on Abigail Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Herman Melville, this book contains a fascinating array of cartoons and images of credit instruments, many of which are drawn from the author’s extensive personal collection. Murphy’s writing is also straightforward; her analysis, insightful.—Common-PlaceI recommend Other People’s Money highly to anyone seeking a brief but accurate introduction to this fascinating era in banking and monetary history.—Business History ReviewOther People’s Money is a beautifully written book on “how banking worked in the early American Republic.” Part of Johns Hopkins University Press’s How Things Worked series, the target audience for this book is undergraduates studying U.S. history or economic history. The book condenses a large literature from American history and economic history as well as contemporary material from periodicals and novels into an interdisciplinary narrative of the political battles over money and banking from the early Republic to the Civil War. Murphy’s book shows that the politics of money shaped how money worked.—Jane Knodell, University of Vermont, Enterprise and SocietyIt is difficult to overstate the quality of Murphy's work. Other People's Money is an outstanding contribution that brilliantly accomplishes the herculean task of digesting the complexities of banking in the early republic. Moreover, Murphy manages to convey these points clearly in immensely readable prose. Helpful for both the layperson and the scholar, this book deserves a place on syllabi and the bookshelves of anyone with an interest in capitalism during this period. Murphy reminds the reader that the story of American banking has a long and complex history, and this erudite study does an excellent job of explaining that complexity in accessible terms.—Aaron L. Chin, University of New Hampshire, American Nineteenth Century HistoryThe real strength of Other People's Money can be found in its clear explanation of early American banking. Murphy makes a complex topic simple, but her treatment is anything but simplistic . . . Because of the book's engaging and lively discussions, I suspect that if it is assigned in classrooms Other People's Money will inspire more than a few students to dive more deeply into the complex and fascinating world of early American banking history.—Andrew J. B. Fagal, Princeton University, Journal of American HistoryTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsPrologue. How the Bank War Worked1. How Money Worked2. How Banks Worked3. How Panics Worked4. Experiments in Money and Banking5. How Civil War Finance WorkedConclusion. Andrew Jackson, Other People's Money, and the Creation of the Federal ReserveEpilogue. Why Is Andrew Jackson Harriet Tubman on the $20 Bill?NotesSuggested Further ReadingIndex

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Book SynopsisA sweeping history of early American trade and the foundation of the American economyTrade ReviewRecipient of The Society of Colonial Wars in the State of New York’s 69th Annual Distinguished Book Award“Thomas Truxes demonstrates that trade was the essential element in the success of Britain’s American colonies—and of their revolution. He weaves together contemporary opinion and modern analysis in highly readable prose, always with the telling detail.”—Karen Ordahl Kupperman, author of Pocahontas and the English Boys“A dazzling tour de force of erudition and empirical heft. This is an indispensable and extraordinary work, immediately the authority in the field.”—Trevor Burnard, University of Hull“We could have no better guide than Truxes explaining incisively how American colonial merchants enriched their communities through licit and illicit trade, and how this enrichment was the product of slavery and the slave trade.”—Nicholas Canny, author of Imagining Ireland’s Pasts“Sailing across four centuries and comprehending multiple perspectives, Thomas Truxes offers us a fascinating new understanding of a complex development that subjugated black laborers, strengthened white enterprisers and inhabitants, and ultimately facilitated an uneasy independence.”—David Hancock, University of Michigan

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A well-written, scholarly dissection that should be required reading for all graduate courses (and perhaps some advanced undergraduate) in macroeconomics or monetary economics." * Choice *"With lucid precision, Mehrling traces the history of how Fed policy makers became biased toward 'excessive elasticity'. . . . Mehrling saves the best for the end, where he describes the Fed's battle to save the system with an alphabet soup of lending programs."---James Pressley, Bloomberg News"An important book about the new Fed."---Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution"In The New Lombard Street, Perry Mehrling . . . provides a lucid account of how the system worked when it was working—and of the growing role assumed by the Fed in an era of global economic volatility and 'credit-fueled bubbles.'"---Glenn C. Altschuler, Tulsa World"[A] fantastic book."---Rortybomb, Mike Konczal blog"Important. . . . Mehrling's new book tries to do just what Bagehot did: to give an account both of how and why the Fed acted when it reinvented the rules in the middle of a financial crisis, and of what the implications for future monetary policy will be."---Harold James, Central Banking Journal"This is an excellent and accessible analysis for anyone wishing to understand the origins of the financial crisis and how the Fed came to respond as it did."---Larry Hatheway, Business Economist"The book can be read as an important contribution in the ongoing debate on the future of central banks. In terms of monetary policy thinking, this book is another contribution to the increasing awareness that central banks, perhaps lured by seeming success of inflation targeting, in the years before 2008 did not manage to strike the right balance between monetary and financial stability."---Lars Fredrik Øksendal, Enterprise & Society

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Book SynopsisAn account of the golden trade of the Moors, and a source book on Saharan trade routes, caravan organization and Sudanese history. The author covers anthropology and economic geography as well as history, as he examines and explores the hot little towns, sharp traders and the brutal rulers. He seeks to encourage and inspire a generation of scholars to discover more about parts of Africa still surprisingly little known to the outside world.

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Book SynopsisA broadly-illustrated overview of the contemporary state of Greco-Roman numismatic scholarship.Trade Review"As Metcalf notes (xvii), it is over 100 years since the last single volume guide to Greek coinage was produced, and there has never been an equivalent work for Rome. This new handbook is, therefore, long overdue and hugely welcome. All involved are to be congratulated and, while in a project as broad as this there are inevitably some omissions, we now have something where there was nothing, and for that we should be very grateful. It is much to be hoped that students of the history of all periods will find their way to this rich new resource." * Andrew Meadows, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *"This book represents an unprecedented innovation in numismatic literature and is becoming widely regarded as the best introduction to classical ancient coins. It is far more than a guide written solely for collectors. Instead, it was written to serve also as an introduction for graduate or post-doctoral students in the ancient cultures who seek training in classical numismatics. As a work in the renowned Oxford Handbooks series, this volume was written to offer an authoritative and annotated state-of-the-art survey of current thinking and research in the subject area. However, it is just that focus that makes it such a valuable text for serious collectors of ancient coins." * Roger Kuntz, Rochester Numismatic Association *Table of ContentsPreface ; Abbreviations ; Introduction, William E. Metcalf ; 1. The Substance of Coinage: The Role of Scientific Analysis in Ancient Numismatics, Matthew Ponting ; Archaic and Classical Greek Coinage ; 2. The Monetary Background of Early Coinage, John H. Kroll ; 3. Asia Minor to the Ionian Revolt, Koray Konuk ; 4. The Coinage of the Persian Empire, Michael Alram ; 5. The Coinage of Athens, 6th - 1st century B.C., Peter van Alfen ; 6. Aegina, the Cyclades and Crete, Kenneth Sheedy ; 7. The Coinage of Italy, N. K. Rutter ; 8. The Coinage of Sicily, Wolfgang Fischer-Bossert ; 9. Greece and the Balkans to 360 B.C., Selene Psoma ; The Hellenistic World ; 10. Royal Hellenistic Coinages from Alexander to Mithridates, Francois de Callatay ; 11. The Hellenistic World: The Cities of Mainland Greece and Asia Minor, Richard Ashton ; 12. The Coinage of the Ptolemies, Catharine C. Lorber ; 13. The Seleucids, Arthur Houghton ; 14. Greek Coinages of Palestine, Oren Tal ; 15. The Coinage of the Parthians, Fabrizio Sinisi ; The Roman World ; 16. Early Roman Coinage and its Italian Context, Andrew Burnett ; 17. The Denarius Coinage of the Roman Republic, Bernhard E. Woytek ; 18. The Julio-Claudians, Rienhold Wolters ; 19. Ancient Spain, Pere P. Ripolles ; 20. Flavian Coinage, Ian Carradice ; 21. The Coinage of the Provinces through Hadrian, Michel Amandry ; 22. Trajan and Hadrian, Martin Beckmann ; 23. Antonine Coinage, Liv Mariah Yarrow ; 24. The Provinces after Commodus, RAnn Johnston ; 25. Syria in the Roman Period, 64 B.C. - A.D. 260, Kevin Butcher ; 26. Roman Coinages of Palestine, Haim Gitler ; 27. The Severans, Richard Abdy ; 28. From Gordian III to the Gallic Empire (A.D. 238-74), Roger Bland ; 29. The Later Third Century, Sylviane Estiot ; 30. The Coinage of Roman Egypt, Angelo Geissen ; 31. Tetrarchy and the House of Constantine, Richard Abdy ; 32. The Coinage of the Later Roman Empire, A.D. 364-498, Sam Moorhead ; 33. The Transformation of the West, Alan M. Stahl ; Appendix 1: Marks of value on later Roman coins, Roger Bland ; Appendix 2: The earliest Christian symbols on Roman coins, Richard Abdy ; Indices ; a. Mints ; b. Persons ; c. General

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Book SynopsisThis book attempts to make accessible to students, scholars, and the lay public annotated, up-to-date information regarding the major coinages of the Greco-Roman world. An international group of experts has been asked to treat their areas of expertise, and the result is a broadly illustrated introduction to the subject.Trade Review"As Metcalf notes (xvii), it is over 100 years since the last single volume guide to Greek coinage was produced, and there has never been an equivalent work for Rome. This new handbook is, therefore, long overdue and hugely welcome. All involved are to be congratulated and, while in a project as broad as this there are inevitably some omissions, we now have something where there was nothing, and for that we should be very gratefulEL. It is much to be hoped that students of the history of all periods will find their way to this rich new resource." --Andrew Meadows, Bryn Mawr Classical Review "This book represents an unprecedented innovation in numismatic literature and is becoming widely regarded as the best introduction to classical ancient coins. It is far more than a guide written solely for collectors. Instead, it was written to serve also as an introduction for graduate or post-doctoral students in the ancient cultures who seek training in classical numismatics. As a work in the renowned Oxford Handbooks series, this volume was written to offer an authoritative and annotated state-of-the-art survey of current thinking and research in the subject area. However, it is just that focus that makes it such a valuable text for serious collectors of ancient coins." -- Roger Kuntz, Rochester Numismatic AssociationTable of ContentsPreface ; Abbreviations ; Introduction, William E. Metcalf ; 1. The Substance of Coinage: The Role of Scientific Analysis in Ancient Numismatics, Matthew Ponting ; Archaic and Classical Greek Coinage ; 2. The Monetary Background of Early Coinage, John H. Kroll ; 3. Asia Minor to the Ionian Revolt, Koray Konuk ; 4. The Coinage of the Persian Empire, Michael Alram ; 5. The Coinage of Athens, 6th - 1st century B.C., Peter van Alfen ; 6. Aegina, the Cyclades and Crete, Kenneth Sheedy ; 7. The Coinage of Italy, N. K. Rutter ; 8. The Coinage of Sicily, Wolfgang Fischer-Bossert ; 9. Greece and the Balkans to 360 B.C., Selene Psoma ; The Hellenistic World ; 10. Royal Hellenistic Coinages from Alexander to Mithridates, Francois de Callatay ; 11. The Hellenistic World: The Cities of Mainland Greece and Asia Minor, Richard Ashton ; 12. The Coinage of the Ptolemies, Catharine C. Lorber ; 13. The Seleucids, Arthur Houghton ; 14. Greek Coinages of Palestine, Oren Tal ; 15. The Coinage of the Parthians, Fabrizio Sinisi ; The Roman World ; 16. Early Roman Coinage and its Italian Context, Andrew Burnett ; 17. The Denarius Coinage of the Roman Republic, Bernhard E. Woytek ; 18. The Julio-Claudians, Rienhold Wolters ; 19. Ancient Spain, Pere P. Ripolles ; 20. Flavian Coinage, Ian Carradice ; 21. The Coinage of the Provinces through Hadrian, Michel Amandry ; 22. Trajan and Hadrian, Martin Beckmann ; 23. Antonine Coinage, Liv Mariah Yarrow ; 24. The Provinces after Commodus, RAnn Johnston ; 25. Syria in the Roman Period, 64 B.C. - A.D. 260, Kevin Butcher ; 26. Roman Coinages of Palestine, Haim Gitler ; 27. The Severans, Richard Abdy ; 28. From Gordian III to the Gallic Empire (A.D. 238-74), Roger Bland ; 29. The Later Third Century, Sylviane Estiot ; 30. The Coinage of Roman Egypt, Angelo Geissen ; 31. Tetrarchy and the House of Constantine, Richard Abdy ; 32. The Coinage of the Later Roman Empire, A.D. 364-498, Sam Moorhead ; 33. The Transformation of the West, Alan M. Stahl ; Appendix 1: Marks of value on later Roman coins, Roger Bland ; Appendix 2: The earliest Christian symbols on Roman coins, Richard Abdy ; Indices ; a. Mints ; b. Persons ; c. General

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Book SynopsisA panoramic reinterpretation of global history, this title traces the emergence and development of the modern world from the sixteenth to the twentieth century.Trade Review"However one casts up the balance-sheet on Wallerstein’s second volume, his effort commands respect and justifies interest in the volumes to follow." * Society *"An exciting and highly intelligent book. . . . The staggering pace at which Wallerstein moves over different levels of explanation, and skillfully combines them into his argument, deserves admiration." * History *"In this age of high specialization, Wallerstein's ambitious but judicious synthesis will command the respect of any scholar who has tried to grapple with the peculiarly intractable problems of this period. . . . the book is shot through with shrewd and often stimulating comment." * Journal of Modern History *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Prologue to the 2011 Edition Introduction: Crisis of the seventeenth century? 1. The b-phase 2. Dutch hegemony in the world economy 3. Struggle in the core—phase i: 1651–1689 4. Peripheries in an era of slow growth 5. Semipheripheries at the crossroads 6. Struggle in the core—phase ii: 1689–1763 Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA panoramic reinterpretation of global history, this title traces the emergence and development of the modern world from the sixteenth to the twentieth century.Trade Review"A work in the grand historical tradition...bold in its thrust....many readers will find this a contentious and unsettling work. But it is contentious and unsettling in ways healthful for the normal practice of economic history." * Journal of Economic History *"Wallerstein's work is one of those rare examples of an intellectual project that transforms the scholarly map. That anthropology, sociology, history, and political science in their present forms cannot be discussed without reference to the project remains Wallerstein's greatest achievement." * American Anthropologist *"From the first page we are engaged by a formidable intellect and relentless researcher. He is someone to take very seriously on details as well as on the generality. He has a strong sense of international interconnectedness (which he virtually invented in our era). . . . Compared to the provincialism of so many historians, Wallerstein's breadth of vision is compellingly appropriate." * Contemporary Sociology *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Prologue to the 2011 Edition 1. Industry and bourgeoisie 2. Struggle in the core—phase iii: 1763–1815 3. The incorporation of vast new zones into the world-economy: 1750–1850 4. The settler decolonization of the Americas: 1763–1833 Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTraces the emergence and development of the modern world from the sixteenth to the twentieth century. This title encompasses the nineteenth century from the revolutionary era of 1789 to the First World War.Trade Review"Wallerstein offers a timely topic that answers our dilemmas about modern society and the historical sense of the Western civilization." Theory & Society "In this new volume [Wallerstein] answers critics who complain that he pays little attention to culture... Definitely worth reading." Choice "A fresh look at global history ... tracing the evolution of contemporary political ideologies from the 18th to the 20th centuries." -- Benjamin W. Gittelson Columbia College Today "Provocative... Radically original." -- Jennifer Pitts New Left ReviewTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface: On Writing about the Modern World-System 1. Centrist Liberalism as Ideology 2. Constructing the Liberal State, 1815--1830 3. The Liberal State and Class Conflict, 1830--1875 4. The Citizen in a Liberal State 5. Liberalism as Social Science 6. The Argument Restated Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTimely, compelling, and certain to be controversiala deeply researched study that reveals how companies and policy makers are hindering innovation-led growth Conventional wisdom holds that Western economies are on the threshold of fast-and-furious technological development. Fredrik Erixon and Bjorn Weigel refute this idea, bringing together a vast array of data and case studies to tell a very different story. With expertise spanning academia and the business world, Erixon and Weigel illustrate how innovation is being hampered by existing government regulations and corporate practices. Capitalism, they argue, has lost its mojo. Assessing the experiences of global companies, including Nokia, Uber, IBM, and Apple, the authors explore three key themes: declining economic dynamism in Western economies; growing corporate reluctance to contest markets and innovate; and excessive regulation limiting the diffusion of innovation. At a time of low growth, high unemployment, and increasing income inequality, innovation-led growth is more necessary than ever. This book unequivocally details the obstacles hindering our future prosperity.Trade Review"Fredrik Erixon and Björn Weigel make a thought-provoking and refreshingly non-ideological argument that a bleak future lies ahead unless capitalism undergoes a shake-up."—Matthew Rees, Wall Street Journal"Erixon and Weigel know how to make their case seductive and entertaining. They describe the four horsemen of capitalist decline riding down innovation before it has any chance of reaching the wider world . . . liberally sprinkled with colourful examples . . . nourished with statistics. . . . The book is eloquent in laying out its thesis."—Peggy Hollinger, Financial Times"Faceless owners, risk-averse managers, globalisers and regulators are the villains of this book that challenges the idea that we are in an age of endless innovation. On the contrary, the authors point out, many innovations are more fun than fundamental."—Andrew Hill, "Best Books of 2016: Business," Financial Times"For a serious book of its kind on economics, one that attempts to bridge the divide between think-tank land and the general reader, The Innovation Illusion is unusually clear and leavened with popular culture references. The Smiths and James Joyce are both quoted. . . . This is an important book that diagnoses the extent of the economic problem and prescribes a strong dose of disruption."—Iain Martin, TimesEconomic stagnation afflicts the developed world, and the puzzle of slow productivity growth is the leading economic question of our age. Erixon and Weigel have developed a profoundly original and multi-faceted explanation rooted in the dead weight of corporate bureaucracy, with its striving for short-term profits and avoidance of risk, as well as government-created regulatory complexity and policy uncertainty. The book is concise, lively, full of examples, and deeply researched from sources that span economics and management science."Economic stagnation afflicts the developed world, and the puzzle of slow productivity growth is the leading economic question of our age. Erixon and Weigel have developed a profoundly original and multi-faceted explanation rooted in the dead weight of corporate bureaucracy, with its striving for short-term profits and avoidance of risk, as well as government-created regulatory complexity and policy uncertainty. The book is concise, lively, full of examples, and deeply researched from sources that span economics and management science."—Robert J. Gordon, Stanley G. Harris Professor in the Social Sciences, Northwestern University, and author of The Rise and Fall of American Growth Innovation is the life blood of the modern economy and our economies seem to be a litre or two short. This highly accessible book argues convincingly that the problems we are having with R&D is not the ‘R’ part, it is the ‘D’ part. We are not lacking invention, we are lacking the policy and competitive environment needed to turn new science into new, economically useful product and processes. This is an important and insightful read for all those concerned by big-picture economic problems."A very well written account of how corporate bureaucracy, rent-seeking and regulation are slowing the pace of innovation."—John Kay, Financial Times and author of Other People’s Money"Today's hidebound capitalism is throttling not just the west’s economic growth, but even the aspirations of its people. If dynamism is to be regained, argues this thought-provoking book, we must reject the rentier capitalism that masquerades as the real thing. This argument for a more dynamic market economy is not just challenging; it is also of huge importance."—Martin Wolf, Financial Times

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