Popular economics Books

Book SynopsisIn Gen F'd? economist Alison Pennington shows how the most educated generation in Australia’s history stands to be the first generation worse off than their parents, and gives young people the tools to create the change we need. This is the fifth book in The Crikey Read series from Crikey and Hardie Grant Books. Young people today are digital natives, encouraged to market their own uniqueness and success online, amid out-dated advice from parents and politicians: work hard and you’ll get ahead. But Australia's celebrated 'fair go' has disintegrated, with millions of young people stuck on the rat-wheel of insecure work and crammed into share houses paying off boomers’ mortgages. Against the backdrop of global warming and pandemic, young people have inherited a dysfunctional economy that consumes their futures. Gen F'd? plots a path forward for Australians to reactivate our democracy and create a new economy that provides hope and opportunity for all. From Crikey and Hardie Grant Books, The Crikey Read is a series that brings an unflinching and truly independent eye to the issues of the day in Australia and the world. Trade Review 'Alison is truly the economist for this generation. This book lays out how Gen F'd got here, what they can do to get out of it, and what changes Australia needs to make to ensure we all get a fair go. It will make you angry, but it will also hopefully make you determined.' – Amy Remeikis 'Pennington's Gen F'd? is packed with insights on how this generation might earn a shot at a future worth living for.' – Yanis Varoufakis ‘Gen F'd? is here, for everyone who wants some hard evidence of the structuralised economic disadvantage of young people as opposed to the fact-free self-flattery of – oh, I dunno – wage-thieves.’ – Van Badham 'A revolutionary economic roadmap for Australia’s disenfranchised youth.' – Nanci Nott, Arts Hub

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Book SynopsisIn Hoodie Economics, Jack Manning Bancroft builds a values system revolution that centres a relational economy, offering urgent and transformative solutions to embrace Indigenous thinking and ideas from outside the margins and pushing the focus from capitalism to relationships – from the people in suits to the people in hoodies. Economics is what we value, and in that way, economics is for everyone. But modern financial empires have shut out the many to instead prioritise ‘limitless’ market growth, attention economies and stock profits for the very few. We have been denied our sense of agency and taught to focus on the self above all, and the biggest stock that is down is our relationships – both with each other and with nature. But we have the powerful tools of imagination and exchange that will allow us to reshape economics for everyone. Hoodie Economics draws on alternative intelligence sources to look at the patterns of money, ownership and reductive thinking that we have inherited, and how we have the potential to create a new (old) foundation of equality – relational economies instead of transactional ones, and networks that are truly social. Just as Jack Manning Bancroft sets out to reimagine economics, Hoodie Economics rethinks the economics book, inviting all readers to find their own way through its narratives and to feel energised by its ideas. In increasingly anxious and tumultuous times, this book offers a mind-expanding economic philosophy that centres unlikely connections, knowledge sharing, custodianship and joy.Trade Review'This book, written with humour and heart, invites society to rethink what we value and transform how we understand our world.' – Coco McGrath, Books+Publishing

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Book Synopsis'Chu's smart, iconoclastic portrait dismantles seven misconceptions' [NEW STATESMEN] about modern China and offers a corrective to Western assumptions.THE CHINESE ARE THE MOST HARDWORKING PEOPLE ON EARTH...so why are the younger generation derided as spoiled and lazy?CHINESE PEOPLE DON'T CARE ABOUT POLITICAL FREEDOM...so why is the country's internet exploding with anti-regime dissent?CHINA WILL ONE DAY RULE THE WORLD...so why do the country's political leaders feel so insecure?Perhaps it is time to stop engaging in a centuries-old game of Chinese whispers in which the facts have become more and more distorted in the telling.Ben Chu examines the myths that have come to dominate our view of the world's most populous nation, forcing us to question everything we thought we knew about it. The result is a penetrating, surprising and provocative insight into China today.Trade ReviewChu's smart, iconoclastic portrait dismantles seven misconceptions - or "whispers" - to let in light on a heterogeneous nation about which it is impossible to generalise -- Philip Maughan * NEW STATESMAN *Forget Confucius, [Chu] says: China's thinking is modern, not ancient * THE TIMES *

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Book SynopsisIn this witty and revelatory investigation of the so-called dismal science, University of British Columbia professor Marina Adshade skips the usual widgets and uncovers how the market comes to bear on our most intimate decisions: sex, dating, courtship, love, marriage, even breaking up. The science of ‘sexonomics’ is born: How much money does an ugly guy need to have to attract as many women via an online dating site as a hot man? Is modern marriage just an opportunity to consume more goods and services? Does raising the price of beer reduce risky sex? Why does a spike in the sale of sex toys predict an upcoming recession, while an increase in the number of breast lifts indicates a perkier economy is on the way? Which comes first: a prosperous nation or a promiscuous one? Once you read Dirty Money, you’ll never look at your money – or your relationships – the same way againTrade Review"A delightful book… Adshade shows that forces of supply and demand indeed loom large in the implicit market for romance." Robert H. Frank * The New York Times *

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Book SynopsisMarkets, models, mechanisms and monopolies… most of us understand that economics is important, but what exactly is it – and what do economists do? In this fresh and engaging introduction, Oxford University’s James Forder skilfully presents the key concepts crucial to mastering the subject. Combining theory with dynamic, real-life examples, he shows us why economics matters and how it shapes our world. Economics: A Beginner’s Guide is the perfect introduction for anyone wishing to understand and interpret economic problems, both past and present.Trade Review"An excellent introduction to some of the main ideas in modern economics. It is clearly written, balanced and, above all, reliable, with nothing to unlearn should it inspire someone to study the subject further." -- Roger Backhouse - Professor of the History and Philosophy of Economics, University of Birmingham “I hope that people read this book. It should change the way that people who are new to economics think about complex issues which affect the world we live in.” -- Timothy Besley, Professor of Economics and Political Science, London School of Economics

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Book SynopsisInternationally bestselling author Dan Ariely brings his unique perspective to bear on a maelstrom of life’s problems – from how to deal with a Christmas card list that’s fast becoming unmanageable to whether or not you should have children. Ariely changed the way we view ourselves, how we think and how we act, with his book Predictably Irrational. In his immensely popular Wall Street Journal advice column, where readers “Ask Ariely” for his help with various dilemmas, he provides a logical view on the seemingly illogical, shedding light on the most curious minutiae of human behaviour. With a helping hand from legendary New Yorker cartoonist William Haefeli, Ariely’s new book will make you laugh at the ridiculous aspects of our daily existence just as you gain a new perspective on how to handle the inevitable challenges that life brings us all. Trade Review'With Ariely's level of expertise there's always the risk of sounding condescending and dry, but his humble, playful delivery feels like sage advice from a friend from start to finish'. * BBC Focus *'Amidst the humour, Ariely provides practical advice to problems and manages to turn seemingly impossibly illogical situations into curiously logical solutions'. * CapX Reviews *"There is nobody better placed to solve your problems than Dan Ariely. A funny, addictive, life-changing book." -- Tim Harford – The Financial Times' Undercover Economist and presenter of BBC Radio 4's More or Less"In this thoroughly entertaining book Dan provides insightful advice to a vast range of human problems. I loved it." -- Terry Jones, Monty Python member, director, actor and writer"From advice on relationships to insight on superstitions, Irrationally Yours is as informative as it is witty. I really enjoyed reading it." -- Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer, Sex Therapist"The human brain is one of the largest mysteries in the world. Trying to understand its complexities and improve our behaviour is one of the main challenges society deals with. In Irrationally Yours, Dan shares with us some of these mysteries and the tools for accomplishing this task." -- Anthony Robbins, author of Unlimited Power, Unleash the Power and “Dan is the most provocative, interesting, and to-the-point advice columnist you are likely to read, whether on your job, your love life, your kids or your disrespectful neighbors.” -- Tyler Cowen, author of Average is Over"Ariely is a master observer of human foibles. His advice is funny, thoughtful, and well-founded. Sometimes all three together. My advice: read it, enjoy it, think about it." -- Al Roth, Craig and Susan McCaw Professor of Economics at Stanford University, Nobel laureate in Economics

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Book SynopsisWhat makes people happy in life? This crucial question has the potential to shake up economics. In recent years, dissatisfaction with the understanding of welfare in economics and new opportunities for empirical study of people's subjective well-being have spurred impressive and stimulating new research into the 'dismal' science, resulting in increased interest in the economics of happiness. Professor Frey and Professor Stutzer have selected contributions by leading scholars which offer a wide-ranging overview of recent developments. These include an exploration of the economic determinants of happiness, the importance of social capital and health for well-being and the new life satisfaction approach to valuing public goods. Work on utility misprediction and adaptation challenges the existing fundamentals of economics, and the role of happiness research in public policy is investigated from different perspectives.Table of ContentsContents: Acknowledgements Introduction Recent Developments in the Economics of Happiness: A Select Overview Alois Stutzer and Bruno S. Frey PART I MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS: REVIEWS OF THE NEW APPROACH 1. Bruno S. Frey and Alois Stutzer (2002), ‘What Can Economists Learn from Happiness Research?’ 2. Daniel Kahneman and Alan B. Krueger (2006), ‘Developments in the Measurement of Subjective Well-Being’ 3. Mark Kelman (2005), ‘Hedonic Psychology and the Ambiguities of “Welfare”’ PART II ECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING 4. Andrew E. Clark, Paul Frijters and Michael A. Shields (2008), ‘Relative Income, Happiness, and Utility: An Explanation for the Easterlin Paradox and Other Puzzles’ 5. Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers (2008), ‘Economic Growth and Subjective Well-Being: Reassessing the Easterlin Paradox’ 6. Richard A. Easterlin, Laura Angelescu McVey, Malgorzata Switek, Onnicha Sawangfa and Jacqueline Smith Zweig (2010), ‘The Happiness-Income Paradox Revisited’ 7. Erzo F.P. Luttmer (2005), ‘Neighbors as Negatives: Relative Earnings and Well-Being’ 8. Alois Stutzer (2004), ‘The Role of Income Aspirations in Individual Happiness’ 9. Rafael Di Tella, Robert J. MacCulloch and Andrew J. Oswald (2003), ‘The Macroeconomics of Happiness’ PART III SOCIAL CAPITAL AND HEALTH 10. John F. Helliwell and Robert D. Putnam (2004), ‘The Social Context of Well-Being’ 11. Leonardo Becchetti, Alessandra Pelloni and Fiammetta Rossetti (2008), ‘Relational Goods, Sociability, and Happiness’ 12. Angus Deaton (2008), ‘Income, Health, and Well-being Around the World: Evidence from the Gallup World Poll’ PART IV VALUING PUBLIC GOODS: THE LIFE SATISFACTION APPROACH 13. Bernard M.S. van Praag and Barbara E. Baarsma (2005), ‘Using Happiness Surveys to Value Intangibles: The Case of Airport Noise’ 14. Simon Luechinger (2009), ‘Valuing Air Quality Using the Life Satisfaction Approach’ PART V UTILITY MISPREDICTION AND ADAPTATION 15. Daniel Kahneman and Richard H. Thaler (2006), ‘Anomalies: Utility Maximization and Experienced Utility’ 16. Andrew E. Clark, Ed Diener, Yannis Georgellis and Richard E. Lucas (2008), ‘Lags and Leads in Life Satisfaction: A Test of the Baseline Hypothesis’ 17. Luis Rayo and Gary S. Becker (2007), ‘Evolutionary Efficiency and Happiness’ PART VI PUBLIC POLICY 18. Richard Layard (2006), ‘Happiness and Public Policy: A Challenge to the Profession’ 19. Bruno S. Frey and Alois Stutzer (2012), ‘The Use of Happiness Research for Public Policy’

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Book SynopsisThis book sets out to provide a scholarly analysis of money and capital, the institutional economic class interests that exist in Ireland, and alternatives to same in the spheres of paid labour and social reproduction. In essence it is a political work in that it picks a side in the debate over these issues. Money is a social technology, one that underpins a complex system of social relations, and the ownership and control of that technology gives those who hold it enormous social, economic and political power. There is a class in Ireland that has carved out a niche for itself within that system at a national and international level, and that class is deeply embedded in the institutions of the State. There are alternatives, but they involve facing up to both the deep economic class divisions within Irish society and the gendered nature of economic inequality, as well as working collectively to transform the institutions and ideas which sustain and reproduce those divisions. The book's singular focus on that topic should not be taken as an argument for a singular causality - that the money system is somehow the cause of all our woes and that a change in that system will change everything. I do not believe that. Capitalism did not invent the money system. That system was appropriated by capitalism and shaped to serve its own particular interests.

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Book SynopsisOffering a thorough assessment of recent developments in the economic literature on happiness and quality of life, this major research handbook astutely considers both methods of estimation and policy application. Luigino Bruni and Pier Luigi Porta's refreshing, and constructively critical, approach emphasizes the subject's integral impact on latter-day capitalism.Expert contributors critically present in-depth research on a wide range of topics including:- the history of the idea of quality of life and the impact of globalization- links between happiness and health- comparisons between hedonic and eudaimonic well-being- the relational and emotional side of human life, including subjective indicators of well-being- genetic and environmental contributions to life satisfaction- the impact of culture, fine arts and new media.Accessible and far-reaching, the Handbook of Research Methods and Applications in Happiness and Quality of Life will prove an invaluable resource for students and scholars of welfare and economics as well as practicing psychologists and researchers.Contributors: M. Bianchi, L. Bruni, L. Crivelli, S. Della Bella, A. Delle Fave, E. Diener, E. Granata, M. Guerini, P. Krause, B. López Noval, M. Lucchini, F. Maggino, H.À. Marujo, N. Matteucci, C. Miller, J. Morozink Boylan, L.M. Neto, G. Nuvolati, A. Pelloni, P.L. Porta, M. Rojas, C.D. Ryff, A. Sen, M.J. Sirgy, L. Stanca, L. Tay, R. Veenhoven, S. Vieira LimaTable of ContentsContents: 1. Happiness and Quality of Life Reconciled Luigino Bruni and Pier Luigi Porta 2. Happiness and Social Institutions Amartya Sen PART I QUALITY OF LIFE 3. New Frontiers: Societal Measures of Subjective Well-Being for Input to Policy Ed Diener and Louis Tay 4. Linking Happiness to Health: Comparisons Between Hedonic and Eudaimonic Well-Being Carol D. Ryff and Jennifer Morozink Boylan 5. Subjective Indicators of Well-being. Conceptual Background and Applications in Social Sciences Antonella Delle Fave 6. Quality of Life and Smart Cities Elena Granata 7. Quality of Life and Inequality Peter Krause 8. The History of the Idea of Quality of Life Borja López Noval 9. Genetic and Environmental Contributions to Life Satisfaction Mario Lucchini, Sara Della Bella and Luca Crivelli 10. Indicators of Happiness vs Quality of Happiness: Methodology and Theory Filomena Maggino 11. Leading a Life of Quality: Conceptualizing Quality of Life Mariano Rojas 12. Globalization and Quality of Life M. Joseph Sirgy and Chad Miller 13. Quality of Life Studies and Positive Psychology Helena À. Marujo and Luis M. Neto PART II HAPPINESS 14. Quality of Life and Happiness. Concepts and Measures Ruut Veenhoven 15. Economics, Well-being and Happiness. History and Protagonists Luigino Bruni 16. Culture and Fine Arts. Open-ended Choices and the Formation of Interest Marina Bianchi 17. Happiness and health Luca Crivelli, Sara Della Bella and Mario Lucchini 18. Happiness, Subjective and Objective Indicators Michela Guerini and Giampaolo Nuvolati 19. Women and Happiness Nicola Matteucci and Sabrina Vieira Lima 20. Relational Goods and Happiness Data Alessandra Pelloni 21. Happiness and New Media Luca Stanca 22. Happiness, Relational Goods and Hedonic Methodology Luca Stanca 23. The Idea of Happiness in Italy Pier Luigi Porta Index

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Book SynopsisThis book marks a milestone in Economics publishing. Sustainable Economics is *the* subject of the moment, as businesses across the globe face up to peak oil prices, climate instability, increasingly complex environmental legislation and the challenge of adapting to a new business landscape. Sustainable Economics: Context, Challenges and Opportunities for the 21st Century Practitioner debugs the language of sustainable development. It explores the strengths and weaknesses of the many and diverse schools of thought. The book enables the modern business student and practitioner to disentangle the complex, often convoluted debate relating to sustainability, and it provides the tools necessary to lead their organizations through the murky waters of current times and prepare for the challenges of the future. Eschewing the linear – take, make and waste – approach of current business and manufacturing thinking, this book revisits the ecological models underpinning recent economic sustainability theory, and re-examines the consequences of modern ecological thought upon business strategies relating to sustainability. A chapter is also dedicated to the "circular economy", already in common parlance at policy levels in the UK, and notably in China and other developing countries.Packed with the most recent research papers, Sustainable Economics is an essential resource for the 21st-century business practitioner and legislator.The book is supported with a large array of teaching and learning material, for both formal and informal use, ranging from role play to data analysis which are available on request with the purchase of this book. Trade Review I would highly recommend this book for anyone wanting a clear and expansive view of this complex but vital field. - Ian Roderick, Director, The Schumacher Institute || Prudence dictates that every business person — not only the students among us — read and heed what Skene and Murray have to say. - Crosslands BulletinTable of ContentsPreface1. Human economic activity: an environmental impact assessment2. The three horsemen of the modern apocalypse: climate, pollution and habitat 3. Water, energy and the green paradox4. Business and biology: can we learn from nature?5. Current schools of sustainable thinking: origins, strengths and weaknesses6. The circular economy7. Design to redesign8. Generic barriers to change9. Transition to a sustainable economy10. Appropriate indicators of a sustainable transitionAppendix: a brief guide to thermodynamicsGlossaryAbout the authorsIndex

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Book SynopsisHave you ever wondered why we can afford to buy far more clothes than our grandparents ever could . . . but may be less likely to own a home in which to keep them all? Why your petrol bill can double in a matter of months, but it never falls as fast? Behind all of this lies economics.; It's not always easy to grasp the complex forces that are shaping our lives. But by following a dollar on its journey around the globe, we can start to piece it all together.; The dollar is the lifeblood of globalisation. Greenbacks, singles, bucks or dead presidents: call them what you will, they are keeping the global economy going. Half of the notes in circulation are actually outside of the USA - and many of the world's dollars are owned by China.; But what is really happening as our cash moves around the world every day, and how does it affect our lives? By following $1 from a shopping trip in suburban Texas, via China's central bank, Nigerian railroads, the oilfields of Iraq and beyond, The Almighty Dollar reveals the economic truths behind what we see on the news every day. Why is China the world's biggest manufacturer - and the USA its biggest customer? Is free trade really a good thing? Why would a nation build a bridge on the other side of the planet?; In this illuminating read, economist Dharshini David lays bare these complex relationships to get to the heart of how our new globalised world works, showing who really holds the power, and what that means for us allTrade Review"Original and engaging ... If you've ever wondered what globalisation is and why people get so passionate about it then I can think of no better guide. Economics can be fascinating and accessible. This book is proof" - Joel Hills, Business Editor, ITV News; "Brilliantly revealing" -- Ian King, business presenter, Sky News, and Times columnist; "Readable and illuminating" - --The Bookseller; "A brilliant book ... everyone should buy it because it's very, very readable" - Iain Dale, LBC

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Book Synopsis**THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**Yanis Varoufakis, world renowned economist, writes to his daughter to teach her the hazards of capitalism.'Why is there so much inequality?' asked Xenia to her father. Answering her questions in a series of accessible and tender letters, Varoufakis educates her to what economics and capitalism is and why it is so dangerous.Taking from memories of her childhood and a variety of well-known tales - from Oedipus and Faust to Frankenstein and The Matrix - Varoufakis turns Talking To My Daughter into an enjoyable and engaging read, without ever shying from the harder truths. Greece's former finance minister explains everything you need to know to understand why economics is the most important drama of our times.In answering his daughter's deceptively simple questions, Varoufakis disentangles our troubling world with remarkable clarity and child-like honesty, as well as inspiring us to make it a better one.'Utterly accessible, deeply humane and startlingly original - a potent democratic tool at the perfect time' Naomi Klein, author of The Shock DoctrineTrade ReviewIt's great fun to read ... Varoufakis has started a debate here, and he's done it brilliantly * Evening Standard *Utterly accessible, deeply humane and startlingly original – a potent democratic tool at the perfect time -- Naomi Klein, author of No Is Not EnoughA provocative, challenging, yet non-patronising analysis of the global economy. By using ancient myths, contemporary culture and family stories, Varoufakis makes the text intimate and accessible -- Nigel Jones * Observer *Experts have often found it easier to hide behind opaque language than to explain complex concepts in simple terms … Varoufakis wants to smash this barrier. . . He equips his readers with the beginnings of a new language, and punctures myth after myth – anna minton, guardian -- Anna Minton * Guardian *Varoufakis's brief history of capitalism unspools with characteristic fluency and verve ... those seeking to better understand the 'black magic' of bankers should look no further * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisVINTAGE MINIS: GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. LITTLE BOOKS.How do we choose between what is fair and just, and what our debtors demand of us? Yanis Varoufakis was put in such a dilemma in 2015 when he became the finance minister of Greece. In this rousing book, he charts the absurdities that underpin calls for austerity, as well as his own battles with a bureaucracy bent on ignoring the human cost of its every action. Passionately outspoken and tuned to the voices of the oppressed, Varoufakis presents a guide to modern economics, and its threat to democracy, like no other. Selected from the books And the Weak Suffer What They Must? and Adults in the Room

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Book Synopsis'[A] tale of cloak and dagger intrigue, intense rivalries and political machinations you'd expect in a spy thriller.' Engineering & TechnologyGross Domestic Product is failing. For decades it has rewarded environmental destruction and obscured inequality. Its formula can be-and has been-gamed to the detriment of developing countries.In this powerfully argued book, now updated with a new chapter, science writer Ehsan Masood shows how GDP fell from the path envisaged by its architects, and how its long-term misapplication has kept large parts of the world in poverty, while helping accelerate global warming and biodiversity loss.As the world rebuilds after the coronavirus pandemic and the accompanying global recession, our need for a more sustainable and inclusive measure of economic growth has never been greater. Change must come if we are to break the cycle. With clarity and passion, Masood shows how we can update GDP for a better future.[previously published as The Great Invention in North America]Trade Review'Masood contends that GDP is a bill of goods the developed world foisted on emerging nations. It is flawed, he argues, because the monetary value of all goods and services produced in a country makes no reference to social well-being or inequality. Masood is also troubled by GDP's failure to consider the environmental damage that is, at times, a byproduct of growth. Many of Masood's criticisms have merit. He presents some interesting alternatives. He favors revolutionary change.' -- Roger Lowenstein, Wall Street Journal, USAIf you ever thought that economic policy could never make for gripping drama, try reading this book. -- Khurram Husain, DawnEhsan Masood unveils the genesis of GDP and how it shaped the modern economic paradigm. It comes at a time when a growing number of people are questioning this flawed metric. -- Down to EarthFascinating. Whether happiness should be embedded into decisions on the economy is an important one, and whether GDP should be abandoned in favor of something better is too. Masood's book helps raise those questions and others in a thought provoking manner. That's much needed in every endeavor these days, and needed in few places more than in the economics profession. -- Simon Constable, Forbes, USAAn interesting book. Masood doesn't merely criticize the overreliance on GDP: he also explores ongoing efforts to develop a satisfactory substitute or supplement that would yield a more accurate picture of economic activity and its effects. -- Foreign Affairs, USAIn lively prose, Masood argues that GDP is flawed because it ignores volunteering, housework, environmental degradation, job satisfaction, and income inequality. -- Kirkus ReviewsMasood covers decades of challenges to GDP conventions that make for a fascinating institutional and human story. -- Diane Coyle, NatureMasood's highly readable book is a useful reminder of what GDP is and what it isn't. -- N. Gregory Mankiw, ScienceAfter reading it you'll never be able to treat GDP seriously again. -- Nicholas Stuart, Sydney Morning Herald, AustraliaThe writing is effortless and intriguing. Like a novel, it weaves personal stories and the significance of individuals into a narrative about tectonic shifts in world politics. * Maria Ivanova, Associate Professor of Global Governance at the University of Massachusetts Boston, and author of The Untold Story of the World’s Leading Environmental Institution: UNEP at Fifty *[A] tale of cloak and dagger intrigue, intense rivalries and political machinations you'd expect in a spy thriller.' -- Engineering & Technology[A] persuasive witness for the prosecution in the case against GDP mania. * Business Standard, India *

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Book SynopsisCapitalism has lifted millions out of poverty. Under its guiding hand, living standards throughout the Western world have been transformed. Further afield, the trail blazed by Japan is being followed by other emerging market countries across the globe, creating prosperity on a breathtaking scale.And yet, capitalism is unloved. From its discontents to its outright enemies, voices compete to point out the flaws in the system that allow increasingly powerful elites to grab an ever larger share of our collective wealth.In this incisive, clear-sighted guide, award winning Financial Times journalist John Plender explores the paradoxes and pitfalls inherent in this extraordinarily dynamic mechanism - and in our attitudes to it. Taking us on a journey from the Venetian merchants of the Rennaissance to the gleaming temples of commerce in 21st-century Canary Wharf via the South Sea Bubble, Dutch tulip mania and manic-depressive gambling addicts, Plender shows us our economic creation through the eyes of philosophers, novelists, poets, artists and the divines.Along the way, he delves into the ethics of debt; reveals the truth about the unashamedly materialistic artistic giants who pioneered copyrighting; and traces the path of our instinctive conviction that entrepreneurs are greedy, unethical opportunists, hell-bent on capital accumulation, while manufacturing is innately virtuous. Thoughtful, eloquent and above all compelling, Capitalism is a remarkable contribution to the enduring debate.Trade Review'A superbly erudite excursion through the theory and practice of market economies down the ages.' - Dominic Lawson, The Sunday Times; 'In this thoughtful and stimulating intervention, John Plender [...] offers a tour d'horizon of the debate, enlivened by a deep knowledge of the global economy and an interest in history, together with an open-minded willingness to place capitalism on the scales of justice and see which way they tip.' - David Priestland, Financial Times; 'John Plender is one of capitalism's more thoughtful observers. His erudition and lifelong curiosity come together beautifully in this wise and wide-ranging book.' - Stephanie Flanders; 'Plender is neither dogmatic nor prescriptive; if you like to read something that furnishes ideas for debate, then this book is for you.' - Richard Walker, CapX; '[John Plender] approaches the quandaries of capitalism with a shrewd eye for detail.' - The Economist; 'It [Capitalism] does a better job of bringing together all the key issues facing today's global economy than any other book I've read... a delight to read.' - Tim Montgomerie, The Times

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Book SynopsisHow do you predict something that has never happened before? There's a useful calculation being employed by Wall Street, Silicon Valley and maths professors all over the world, and it predicts that the human species will become extinct in 760 years. Unfortunately, there is disagreement over how to apply the formula, and some argue that we might only have twenty years left. Originally devised by British clergyman Thomas Bayes, the theorem languished in obscurity for two hundred years before being resurrected as the lynchpin of the digital economy. With brief detours into archaeology, philology, and overdue library books, William Poundstone explains how we can use it to predict pretty much anything. What is the chance that there are multiple universes? How long will Hamilton run? Will the US stock market continue to perform as well this century as it has for the last hundred years? And are we really all doomed?Trade Review‘Thoroughly entertaining reading and it’s not hard to foresee a future in which readers everywhere will find it impossible to put down.’ * E&T Magazine *‘a fun and energetic romp through a mishmash of philosophical and cosmological ideas… an engagingly written foray.’ * The Inquisitive Biologist *‘A fascinating sweep through so many interesting and important insights into how we can understand our future, masterfully knitted together.’ -- Bobby Duffy, author of The Perils of Perception‘One of the best science writers of our time has taken on one of the most interesting and important subjects of all time – how to predict the future under great uncertainty… A gripping read.’ -- Michael Shermer, author of Heavens on Earth‘A very interesting and definitive book on this subject.’ -- J. Richard Gott, astrophysicist and author of The Cosmic Web

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Diversity, Inclusion and Equality Award at the Business Book Awards 2021 ‘Underpinned by scholarship...entertaining…Legrain’s book fizzes with practical ideas.’ The Economist ‘The beauty of diversity is that innovation often comes about by serendipity. As Scott Page observed, one day in 1904, at the World Fair in St Louis, the ice cream vendor ran out of cups. Ernest Hami, a Syrian waffle vendor in the booth next door, rolled up some waffles to make cones – and the rest is history.’ Filled with data, anecdotes and optimism, Them and Us is an endorsement of cultural differences at a time of acute national introspection. By every measure, from productivity to new perspectives, immigrants bring something beneficial to society. If patriotism means wanting the best for your country, we should be welcoming immigrants with open arms.Trade Review‘Underpinned by scholarship…entertaining… Legrain’s book fizzes with practical ideas.’ * The Economist *

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Book Synopsis'We need to organise politically to defend the weak, empower the many and prepare the ground for reversing the absurdities of capitalism.' – Yanis Varoufakis 'Capitalism over the past twenty-five years has been an incredible moral good.' – David Brooks The Munk debate on capitalism There is a growing belief that the capitalist system no longer works. Inequality is rampant. The environment is being destroyed for profits. In some western nations, life expectancy is even falling. Political power is wielded by wealthy elites and big business, not the people. But for proponents of capitalism, it is the engine of progress, not just making all of us materially better off, but helping to address everything from women’s rights to political freedoms. We seem to stand at a crossroads: do we need to fix the system as a matter of urgency, or would it be better to hold our nerve?

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Book SynopsisEconomic theory reached its highest level of analytical power and depth in the middle of the nineteenth century among John Stuart Mill and his contemporaries. This book explains classical economics when it was at its height, followed by an analysis of what took place as a result of the ensuing Marginal and Keynesian Revolutions that have left economists less able to understand how economies operate. Chapters explore the false mythology that has obscured the arguments of classical economists, clouding to the point of near invisibility the theories they had developed. Steven Kates offers a thorough understanding of the operation of an economy within a classical framework, providing a new perspective for viewing modern economic theory from the outside. This provocative book not only explains the meaning of Say's Law in an accessible way, but also the origins of the Keynesian revolution and Keynes's pathway in writing The General Theory. It provides a new look at the classical theory of value at its height that was not based, as so many now wrongly believe, on the labour theory of value. A crucial read for economic policy-makers seeking to understand the operation of a market economy, this book should also be of keen interest to economists generally as well as scholars in the history of economic thought.Trade Review‘Classical Economic Theory and the Modern Economy should be a welcome addition to the reading lists of both amateurs and professional economists, whether one’s interest is in macroeconomics or the history of economic thought. Although the book is a worthwhile read on its own without familiarity with Kates’s work, this reviewer believes it really shines when read as a sequel and conclusion to the author’s previous contributions.’ -- Per L Bylund, The Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics'In Classical Economic Theory and the Modern Economy, Kates seeks to correct this dangerous intellectual detour economists took due to Keynes and finally get modern economists to practice economics beyond the shadow of Keynes. It is a Herculean task, but armed with J.B. Say and especially J.S. Mill, Steven Kates makes as strong an effort for resurrection of classical economy theory as can be marshaled. This will be a must read for all students of economics, and a compelling contribution to the history of economic doctrine.' --Peter Boettke, George Mason University, US'This book delivers hard blows to the tenets of modern economics, retells its history and evolution, and pokes holes at our misperceptions of classical economic theory. The result is as much a burial of the macroeconomics of Keynes as it is a resuscitation of the classical economics of J.S. Mill.' --Per Bylund, Oklahoma State University, USTable of ContentsContents: Introduction 1. The Purpose of this Book and Why Only I could Write It 2. The Background 3. The Keynesian Revolution and Classical Theory 4. Understanding Classical Presuppositions, Terminology and Concepts 5. The Classical Theory of Value and the Marginal Revolution 6. Keynesian Theory Overruns the Classics 7. The Basis for Keynes’s Success: Why Keynes was Able to Succeed 8. Classical Theory and the Role of Government 9. Austrian Economics and Classical 10. An Overview of Classical Economic Theory Afterword Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWhy are houses so expensive? Is our banking system going to collapse again? Should we be worried that robots are going to take all our jobs? And just what exactly is the economy anyway? Economists and politicians would have you believe it is a rarified topic best left to ‘the experts’. The experts are wrong. This book uncovers what people really mean when they talk about ‘the economy’, taking the word off its pedestal and showing that it’s just a lens for seeing the world around us. That, at its heart, economics is about you, and the society you’re a part of. Explaining key concepts in economics in relation to how they directly affect your life – from your money to your home, your workplace to your future – What is the Economy? drags the obscure world of economics kicking and screaming towards the everyday and equips you with clarity and understanding.Trade ReviewIf you ever wanted to know what economists talk about, or want to get a bit more understanding out of media coverage of economics and the economy, then this gem of a book will get you started! * Peter Antonioni, UCL, UK *What is the economy? What is economics? This excellent book seeks to give meaningful answers to the non-economist. This is no simple task. But we all have expertise at least in the parts of the economy that affect us directly. We also all need to understand something about the economy and economics if we are to make sense of our lives and participate in our democracy. Read and learn: economics is too important to be left to the economists. * Martin Wolf *We all live in an economy. Many of the things we do and many things that happen to us are to do with the economy. However, there is a gap between economic analyses and our everyday lived experiences. This book fills that gap. And it does that in a way that is systematic but light-footed, comprehensive but not overpowering, and principled but not sanctimonious. Let's all read it. * Ha-Joon Chang, University of Cambridge, UK *This clear and comprehensible book about economics is long overdue. * Brian Eno *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Preface (and a general warning) Chapter 1: How did we get here? Chapter 2: What is the economy? Chapter 3: What is an economy for? Chapter 4: You (and everybody else) Chapter 5: Your High Street Chapter 6: Your Home Chapter 7: Your Work Chapter 8: Your Money Chapter 9: Your Society Chapter 10: Your Government Chapter 11: Your World Chapter 12: The World Needs a New Language Bibliography and Further Reading

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Book SynopsisEmerging relatively unscathed from the banking crisis of 2008, China has been viewed as a model of both rampant success and fiscal stability. But beneath the surface lies a network of fissures that look likely to erupt into the next big financial crash. A bloated real-estate sector, roller-coaster stock market, and rapidly growing shadow-banking sector have all coalesced to create a perfect storm: one that is in danger of taking the rest of the world’s economy with it. Walden Bello traces our recent history of financial crises – from the bursting of Japan’s ‘bubble economy’ in 1990 to Wall Street in 2008 – taking in their political and human ramifications such as rising inequality and environmental degradation. He not only predicts that China might be the site of the next crash, but that under neoliberalism this will simply keep happening. The only way that we can stop this cycle, Bello argues, is through a fundamental change in the ways that we organise: a shift to cooperative enterprise, respectful of the environment, and which fractures the twin legacies of imperialism and capitalism. Insightful, erudite and passionate, Paper Dragons is a must-read for anyone wishing to prevent the next financial meltdown.Trade ReviewThis welcome critique of global finance is admirably angry. * Guardian *Paper Dragons looks at the economic dangers building up in the Chinese economy and situates them in world economic developments since the Global Financial Crisis. * Green Left *Walden Bello suggests that, while the next devastating crisis with global ramifications can strike any one of capitalism’s many nodes, the immediate threat comes from Asian giant, China. The lesson? Reform of capitalism may be the immediate call, but in the final analysis we must transform how the system works and we live our lives. * C. P. Chandrasekhar, Professor of Economics, Jawaharlal Nehru University *Walden Bello argues that fragility remains within the system and points to China as the potential source of the world's next major economic crisis. He raises issues that citizens, policymakers, and financial players ignore at their peril. * Dean Baker, Co-founder and Senior Economist, Center for Economic Policy Research *Walden Bello shows how global capitalism remains structurally prone to financial crises. With clarity and conviction, Bello continues to explain reality lucidly and inspire progressive alternatives. * Jayati Ghosh, Professor of Economics Jawaharlal Nehru University *'Startling, revelatory, brilliant! An astonishing exposé of the frightening economic details of this moment. * Jerry Mander, author of The Capitalism Papers *'In 2008, a U.S. housing bubble careened out of control and plunged the world into a gruesome global financial crisis. Bello brilliantly lays out the case that – unless we put effective checks in place – the next financial crisis will likely erupt in China. * John Cavanagh, Director, Institute for Policy Studies *In this volume, Walden Bello demonstrates that East and Southeast Asia has been the location of multiple financial crises, despite enjoying an international reputation as a group of successful globalizers. * Manuel Montes, Senior Analyst, South Center, Geneva *Walden Bello, in this terrifying new book, explains that, if major changes are not taken, the same set of circumstances – unregulated shadow banking, runaway financial speculation and an overheated real estate bubble – are poised to take down China’s economy, and perhaps the world's with it. A very important book for this political moment. * Maude Barlow, author of Blue Future and chairperson of the Council of Canadians *A stark warning about the vulnerable state of global financial markets from one of our most acute and prescient thinkers. * Naomi Klein, author of This Changes Everything and The Shock Doctrine *'A tour de force of past and future financial crises by the globe's most astute progressive political economist. Bello puts forward a comprehensive agenda to prevent the next crisis. * Robin Broad, Guggenheim Fellow and Professor, American University *'Walden Bello brilliantly explains how our global financial system still operates as a giant casino — with China now one of the most reckless gamblers. Read this book to learn how we can tame the global financial casino — before China and other reckless gamblers cause the next crash. * Sarah Anderson, Global Economy Project Director *Walden Bello is one of the rare truly global thinkers. A must-read for those seeking prevent the next financial meltdown. * Superb.' *'Crisply and clearly written, Paper Dragons demonstrates that: "Yes, it can happen here, again and again." Politicians and lawmakers everywhere had better get a grip on finance, now. Or watch out, World! * Susan George, President of the Transnational Institute and author of How the Other Half Dies *Walden Bello is one of the foremost analysts of global economics and politics of our time. He shows that the global economy is a ticking time bomb. Erudite and eloquent, this book could not be timelier. This is a must read. * William I. Robinson, Professor of Sociology, University of California *'The question may not be if another crash will take place, but when and where will it start. Bello eschews pessimist fatalism, arguing for a broad programme of financial reforms integrated into a comprehensive programme of reforms of the real economy. Inspired and accessible … Wholeheartedly recommended! * Heikki Patomäki, Professor of World Politics, University of Helsinki, author of The Great Eurozone Crisis *Table of Contents1. Introduction: Will China be the Epicenter of the Next Financial Crisis? 2. Crisis in Wall Street and the Keynesian Response 3. Europe: Social Democracy’s Faustian Pact with Global Finance 4. Asia and Finance Capital: From the Japanese Bubble to China’s Financial Time Bomb 5. Reforming the Global Financial Architecture: Opportunities Lost, 2008-2018 6. How to Rebottle the Genie 7. Conclusion: Why Financial Reform is Not Enough

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Book SynopsisIs it possible for businesses to have a bottom line that is not profit and endless growth, but human dignity, justice, sustainability and democracy? Or an alternative economic model that is untainted by the greed and crises of current financial systems? Christian Felber says it is. Moreover, in Change Everything he shows us how. In this new and updated edition of the book that sparked a global movement, Christian Felber proposes a blueprint for an economics of everybody: ethical, dignified, sustainable and principled. He shows that The Economy for the Common Good is not just an idea, but has already become a broad international movement with thousands of people, companies, communities and organizations participating, developing and implementing it.Trade ReviewEconomy for the Common Good has demonstrated an ability to draw together a partnership of companies, consumers and communities ... by offering a fresh alternative. * Bruce Watson, Guardian *A timely and important new vision for the purpose of economic activity, moving away from the private accumulation of wealth and towards the common good. A must read for business leaders, economists, activists, civil servants and politicians if we are to have any chance of creating an economy that meets the needs of people and the planet. * Duncan McCann, New Economics Foundation *This is a joyful book of hope and possibility. Everything can be changed, including the depressive mindset that there are no alternatives. * Ed Mayo, Co-operatives UK *Christian Felber’s Economy for the Common Good offers a clear analysis that combines pragmatic designs for some of the potential institutions of the next system with a strategy for building a movement that can bring these institutions into being. His accessible articulation of a genuine alternative is an important contribution to an essential global conversation. * Gar Alperovitz, author, historian, political economist *Christian Felber is one of the most brilliant economists in Europe. His vision of the common good is fascinating. * Jean Ziegler, former UN ambassador on the Right to Food *Christian Felber’s Economy for the Common Good is a smart, useful answer to the economic chaos and the enormous social suffering that the oligarchs of globalized financial capital have caused on the planet. A great and important book! * Jean Ziegler, former UN ambassador on the Right to Food *Christian Felber shows a pathway that leads to an economy based on love instead of profit, a society based on solidarity instead of greed, and a life based on joy instead of fear. We can all become involved. * Kosha Joubert, president of the Global Ecovillage Network *Through the example of a large number of pioneer companies of the Economy for the Common Good, everyone can see that doing business on the basis of a transparent, holistic, value and stakeholder oriented approach is possible. These ethical goals go beyond the dogma of unlimited profit and growth and are indispensable for a humane future on this planet. * Lisa Muhr, Goddess of Fortune fashion label entrepreneur *We need an entirely new economic system if we are to avert collapse, and Christian Felber's Change Everything points the way. This path-breaking, optimistic book shows that it is possible to have an economy that serves us rather than enslaving us. * Richard Heinberg, author of The End of Growth *Get involved for concrete alternatives! Get involved in the Economy for the Common Good! * Stéphane Hessel, former diplomat, essayist and political activist *Christian Felber has written that rare article: the genuine game-changer. Easy to read, irrefutable in its principles and comprehensive in its proposals, it's a how-to guide to a better world. At last, it's in English. Don't miss it. * Susan George, author of Whose Crisis? Whose Future? *Table of ContentsForeword to the New Edition Foreword by Eric Maskin Preface 1 A broken system 2 Defining the economy for the common good 3 The democratic bank 4 Property 5 Motivation and meaning 6 Advancing democracy 7 Real world examples 8 Putting it into practice Appendix 1 Frequently asked questions Appendix 2 Facts, figures and a twenty-point summary Foreword by Eric Maskin Preface 1 A broken system 2 Defining the economy for the common good 3 The democratic bank 4 Property 5 Motivation and meaning 6 Advancing democracy 7 Real world examples 8 Putting it into practice Appendix 1 Frequently asked questions Appendix 2 Facts, figures and a twenty-point summary

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Book SynopsisWhere does wealth come from? How is it different from money? Does government intervention prevent or create crises? What is the most effective way to protect the environment? In Economics Without the Boring Bits, Oxford-trained economist Tejvan Pettinger takes readers on an enlightening tour of the powerful, counter-intuitive and frequently startling insights of economic research, showing us that middlemen are good, recycling is bad (sometimes) and why some people get rich and others don't.This clear, compelling and engaging book breathes life into big concepts such as debt, finance, trade, money, taxation, supply, demand and all the other economic issues that worry us all yet relatively few truly understand.This is your guide to understanding economics – without the boring bits.Table of ContentsECONOMIC ERRORS: Lump of labour fallacy • Luddite Fallacy • Broken window fallacy • Sunk cost fallacy • Fallacy of composition • Zero-sum games • This time it's different (why bubbles reoccur) POLITICAL QUANDRIES: Tax cuts • Government debt • Immigration • Presidents responsibility • Trickle-down • Inflation • Exchange rates • Bail-outs • Recessions WHAT YOU REALLY NEED TO KNOW ABOUT…: Division of labour • Raw materials • Economic forecasting • Farming and agriculture • Rational consumers • Deflation • Free riders • Monetary policy ECONOMISTS: Adam Smith • John Maynard Keynes • Milton Friedman • Gary Becker • Paul Krugman YOU'LL NEVER GET RICH BY INDULGING IN…: Fighting wars • Trade wars and trade retaliation • Propping up farming or heavy industry • Cutting inflation too much • Acquiring lots of money • Free trade • Eating too much chocolate cake ECO BOMBSHELLS: Nature • Shared resources • Air travel • Markets and global warming • Fat taxes are fair • Protecting the environment will create jobs, not destroy them • Recycling is good BUSINESS MYTHS: Ticket touts are bad • There is greater value on diamonds than fresh water • Workers are only motivated by money • It is unfair that airlines keep changing the price of tickets • The UK and US economies should be more balanced • Consumer boycotts of sweatshop factories • Are multinationals the great wealth creators?

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Book SynopsisThis topical and engaging Handbook brings together cutting edge research on the relationship between happiness and the natural environment. With interdisciplinary contributions from top scholars, it explores the role of happiness research as a new approach to environmental social science, illustrating the critical links between human wellbeing, happiness and the environment. Addressing key environmental issues that impact happiness, the book examines: climate change and extreme weather events, air pollution, noise, odour, access to green space, and the importance of green lifestyles. This wide range of environmental concerns is analysed through the lens of differing cultural backgrounds, exploring the importance of different forms of human interaction with the environment globally, as well as its effects. Environmental economics and sociology scholars will find the key case studies discussed particularly useful in assessing different cultural, political and regional approaches to the topic. It will also be an interesting read for policy-makers looking to better understand how the environment affects human happiness and wellbeing. Contributors include: M. Ahmadiani, M. Berlemann, F. Brereton, L. Bruni, X. Chen, C.A. Coral-Guerrero, S. Ferreira, H. Folmer, B.S. Frey, D. Fujiwara, F. García-Quero, I. Gramatki, J. Guardiola, P. Howley, B.A. Jones, K. Kagohashi, S. Kant, K. Keohane, C. Krekel, K. Laffan, R. Lawton, A. Levinson, G. MacKerron, D. Maddison, S. Managi, M. Moro, S. Mourato, A. Oswald, J. Regner, K. Rehdanz, H. Ren, T. Ruckelshauß, J. Tang, T. Tsurumi, J. Tutt, R. Veenhoven, I. Vertinsky, H. Welsch, X. Zhang, X. Zhang, B. ZhengTrade Review'This exciting Handbook brings together leading authors investigating the state-of-the-art in behaviour economics, when they are concerned with SWB, when SWB is modelled as an explicit function of environmental goods and services. This Handbook is one of the most efficient pathways towards the understanding of the underpinnings and contribution of ''Happiness Economics'' in understanding the ''socio-economic value'' of Environmental and Resources Economics, and identification of the challenges that lie ahead.' --Phoebe Koundouri, Athens University of Economics and Business, and President-Elect, European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, Greece'A complete analysis of well-being has to address both its individual and contextual determinants. This volume brings together a much-needed collection of contributions addressing many aspects of climate and the environment. Together they will help researchers to move to a truly global measure of individual, societal and indeed global well-being.' --Andrew Clark, Paris School of Economics, France'The Handbook on Wellbeing, Happiness and the Environment is an intriguing collection of papers that discuss and utilize measurements of household happiness. Happiness is not closely correlated with income across countries, but happiness is associated with better environments that have more green space, less pollution, less noise, and Mediterranean climates.' --Robert Mendelsohn, Yale University, USTable of ContentsContents: Foreword by Andrew Oswald ix Introduction to the Handbook on Wellbeing, Happiness and the Environment 1 David Maddison, Katrin Rehdanz and Heinz Welsch PART I SOCIAL SCIENCES, HAPPINESS AND THE ENVIRONMENT 1 Economics, wellbeing and happiness: a historical perspective 13 Luigino Bruni 2 World Database of Happiness: a ‘findings archive’ 25 Ruut Veenhoven 3 Spatial variation in life satisfaction: a happiness puzzle 46 Mona Ahmadiani, Finbarr Brereton, Susana Ferreira and Mirko Moro 4 Happiness and environmental economics 71 Heinz Welsch 5 Subjective wellbeing as valuation system of environmental quality: an environmental social sciences approach 85 Jianjun Tang, Honghao Ren and Henk Folmer PART II CASE STUDIES ON HAPPINESS AND THE ENVIRONMENT 6 Cross-country variations in subjective wellbeing explained by the climate 105 David Maddison and Katrin Rehdanz 7 Natural disasters and self-reported wellbeing: empirical evidence for rainfall extremes in the United Kingdom 127 Michael Berlemann, Judith Regner and Jascha Tutt 8 Happiness and forest-attacking invasive alien species 144 Benjamin A. Jones 9 Happiness and air pollution 164 Arik Levinson 10 The effects of exposure to air pollution on subjective wellbeing in China 183 Xin Zhang, Xi Chen and Xiaobo Zhang 11 Noise and subjective wellbeing 201 Daniel Fujiwara and Ricky N. Lawton 12 Measuring the wellbeing and health impacts of sewage odour 225 Daniel Fujiwara, Iulian Gramatki and Kieran Keohane 13 The effect of green areas on life satisfaction: a comparison of subjective and objective measures 245 Teresa Ruckelshau. 14 Mappiness: natural environments and in-the-moment happiness 266 George MacKerron and Susana Mourato 15 Legacy effects and individual heterogeneity in the relationship between health and wellbeing 283 Peter Howley 16 Valuing energy infrastructure externalities using wellbeing and hedonic price data: the case of wind turbines 297 Christian Krekel 17 Happiness and energy supply 318 Heinz Welsch 18 Green with satisfaction: the relationship between pro-environmental behaviours and subjective wellbeing 329 Kate Laffan 19 Happiness and green lifestyle 349 Heinz Welsch 20 How environmental ethics affect the consumption–wellbeing relationship: evidence from Japan 367 Tetsuya Tsurumi, Kazuki Kagohashi and Shunsuke Managi 21 An empirical assessment of the indigenous Sumak Kawsay (living well): the importance of nature and relationships 385 Carmen Amelia Coral-Guerrero, Jorge Guardiola and Fernando Garc.a-Quero 22 Mother Earth and household welfare functions of First Nations peoples of Canada 399 Shashi Kant, Ilan Vertinsky and Bin Zheng PART III CONCLUSION 23 Happiness in retrospect and prospect 422 Bruno S. Frey Index 431

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Book SynopsisPopulism and Economics, Charles Dumas' latest book, examines the reasons for the rise in populism - Brexit and the election of Trump among other events - and how this discontent with the status quo has affected economics, both perceptions and reality. The book argues that while globalization and the influence of new technology have pulled the world economy out of recession and while the benefits of world trade are now spread more widely, there is a perception of injustice because of inequality within individual nations. In a detailed region-by-region analysis of the current state of the world economy and using exclusive research carried out by TS Lombard, Dumas shows how the perception of inequality now threatens to destabilize not only politics but also the economic order itself.Trade ReviewPraise for Globalisation Fractures: To understand the cuases of the financial crisis, read this insightful analysis. -- Mervyn King, Bank of England GovernorBrilliant...asking all the right questions about our economic future - crises, migration, technology, inequality, globalisation, populism, monetary and fiscal policy. Can we survive it all? -- Peter JayPopulism and Economics ... is clear, well written and, most important of all, right! -- Lord Mervyn King

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Book SynopsisOvertime is about the politics of time, and specifically the amount of time that we spend labouring within capitalist society. It argues that reactivating the longstanding demand for shorter working hours should be central to any progressive trajectory in the years ahead.This book explains what a shorter working week means, as well as its history and its political implications. Will Stronge and Kyle Lewis examine the idea of reducing the time we all spend labouring for other on both a theoretical and political level, and offer an analysis rooted in the radical traditions from which the idea first emerged. Throughout, the reader is introduced to key theorists of work and working time alongside the relevant research regarding our contemporary 'crisis of work', to which the authors' proposal of a shorter working week responds.Trade ReviewThis is a vital contribution to the growing debate around free time and reducing the working week.With millions saying they would like to work shorter hours, and millions of others without a job or wanting more hours, it's essential that we consider how we address the problems in the labour market as well as preparing for the future challenges of automation. * John McDonnell, Labour Shadow Chancellor [praise for the authors' report on the shorter working week] *This is a path-breaking report on one of the most promising ideas of our time * Rutger Bregman, historian and author of Utopia for Realists [praise for the authors' report on the shorter working week] *In this terrific book, Will Stronge and Kyle Lewis present a remarkably clear and powerfully compelling case for shorter working hours as a path to greater sustainability, equality, and freedom. -- Kathi Weeks, author of The Problem With WorkOvertime is a stirring call to action in the fight for a shorter working week. Crucially, Lewis and Stronge remind us that no victories for workers have ever been won without struggle. Overtime is a critical text for socialists seeking to understand how the world of work has changed, and how to imagine a world in which our lives are no longer dominated by it. -- Grace Blakeley, author of The Corona CrashThe centuries old struggle by workers to free themselves from the dictatorship of work has emerged once more. Freedom from drudgery and the reduction in working hours have never been won without a fight. This book will prove invaluable in arming not only those who want to understand that struggle but also more importantly those who want to engage in it. -- John McDonnell, MPIt's no longer enough for the left to just shout jobs, jobs, jobs. Overtime not only shows why shorter working weeks need to be an integral part of a new deal for all workers, but also how it will be won. -- Ellie Mae O'Hagan, Director of CLASS think tankFocusing on a work-obsessed society, the failure of labor-saving technology to reduce work hours, the undervaluing of women's work, and the toll of work on the environment, Overtime brings both hope and despair. * Booklist *A compelling case for shortening the current work week, a policy that could see less overworking, more jobs, gender equality and a greener future. -- Ella Glover * Huck *Timely ... reveals the urgency of the conversion to a shorter working week. -- Adele Walton * gal-dem *

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Book SynopsisFrom the acclaimed author of How Will Capitalism End? comes an omnibus of long-form critical essays engaging with leading economists and thinkers. Critical Encounters draws on Wolfgang Streeck's inimitable writing for the London Review of Books and New Left Review, among other publications. It opens with treatments of two contrasting historical eras - factory capitalism and financialization - and three of the world's major economies: the United States, France and Germany. Delving into the world of ideas, Streeck discusses the work of Quinn Slobodian, Mark Blyth, Jürgen Habermas and Perry Anderson. Finally, he zooms out to compare his home discipline of sociology to natural history, giving a remarkable and non-deterministic reading of Charles Darwin. In the preface, Streeck reflects on the art (or craft) of book reviewing and the continuing merits of the book form. Critical Encounters also includes a series of 'Letters from Europe', penned as the coronavirus descended upon the Continent.Trade ReviewSynthesises the various strands of left crisis theory into a convincing proposal, as strong psychologically as it is on economics. -- Paul Mason * Guardian, Books of the Year 2016 [on How Will Capitalism End?] *A must-read. * Financial Times, Best Books of 2016 [on How Will Capitalism End?] *Streeck sees a destructive convergence of three fixed trends in late capitalism: a declining rate of economic growth, soaring overall indebtedness, and rising economic inequality in both income and wealth. His work interlocks with recent dark conclusions by Robert J. Gordon, Thomas Piketty, and Wendy Brown, among others. -- Norman Rush * New York Review of Books [on How Will Capitalism End?] *Streeck's sweeping and empirically founded inquiry reminds one of Karl Marx's Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte. -- Jürgen Habermas [on Buying Time]A superbly provocative work of political economy. -- Aditya Chakrabortty * Guardian [on Buying Time] *A compelling and distinctive analysis of the current political moment. -- Hans Kundnani * The World Today *

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Book SynopsisGreat Economic Thinkers presents an accessible introduction to the lives and works of the most influential economists of modern times: Adam Smith, David Ricardo, John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx, Alfred Marshall, Joseph Schumpeter, John Maynard Keynes, and Nobel Prize winners Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, John Forbes Nash Jr, Daniel Kahneman, Amartya Sen and Joseph Stiglitz. Free from jargon and equations, the book describes key economic concepts – from the role played by the division of labour to wages and rents, cognitive biases, game theory and liberalism – showing how they have come to shape our society today.Table of ContentsIntroduction - D'Maris Coffman 1 Adam Smith - Jonathan Conlin 2 David Ricardo - Helen Paul 3 John Stuart Mill - Joseph Persky 4 Karl Marx - Paul Prew 5 Alfred Marshall - Katia Caldari 6 Joseph Schumpeter - Mario Graca Moura 7 John Maynard Keynes - Victoria Bateman 8 Friedrich Hayek - Scott Scheall 9 Milton Friedman - Victoria Bateman 10 John Forbes Nash Jr - Karen Horn 11 Daniel Kahneman - Michelle Baddeley 12 Amartya Sen - Jonathan Conlin 13 Joseph Stiglitz - Emmanuelle Benicourt References Further reading List of contributors Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisLearn everything you ever wanted to know about economics in this no-nonsense beginner's guideIn a world where everything seems to get more expensive by the day - but most of us don't seem to get any richer - it's easy to feel confused about the economy. If you think it's time you learnt how inflation works, what causes recessions and why the stock market is so unpredictable, then look no further. The Little Book of Economics will bring you up to speed on the basics of micro- and macroeconomics and demystify the world of taxes, trade, investments and finance, in simple English and with easy-to-follow examples. By the end of this crash course, you will have a grasp on all the essential terms, concepts and theories you need to know to understand modern-day capitalism and markets. And you'll also have the answers to questions like:- Can inflation be a good thing? - How does supply and demand work? - Is immigration good for the economy? - How do we prevent another global financial crisis? - What is GDP, and what are the alternatives? and - Why can't we just print more money?

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Book SynopsisVolume 39B of Research in the History of Economic Thought and Methodology, includes a symposium marking the centenary of Carl Menger’s death in 1921. The symposium, edited by Reinhard Schumacher and Scott Scheall, features contributions from Sandra J. Peart, Günther Chaloupek, Erwin Dekker, and Sandye Gloria. The Volume also features general-research essays from Marina Uzunova and Alexander Linsbichler.Table of ContentsPart I. A Symposium on Carl Menger at The Centenary of his Death; Introduction; Reinhard Schumacher and Scott Scheall; Chapter 1. The "Improvement Of Mankind": William Stanley Jevons and Carl Menger On Decision Making and Learning; Sandra J. Peart; Chapter 2. Carl Menger's Different Concepts of the value of money - The Enigma of The "Inner Value Of Money"; Günther Chaloupek; Chapter 3. The New Theory of Individual and Collective needs in the Second Edition of Carl Menger's Principles of Economics; Erwin Dekker; Chapter 4. The Modernity of Carl Menger: Austrian Economics and Complexity Economics; Sandye Gloria; Part II. Essays Chapter 5. Penrose and the Indifferent Crowd; Marina Uzunova; Chapter 6. Rationalities and their Limits: Reconstructing Neurath's and Mises's Prerequisites in the Early Socialist Calculation Debates; Alexander Linsbichler

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Book SynopsisGlobal Tariff War: Economic, Political and Social Implications traces the range of impacts that global tariff wars in international trade can have on the growth and expansion of national economies. The Global economic and political status quo has faced turmoil after the US President's 2018 announcement on the imposition of import tariff steel and aluminium products. Taking as its core focus the trade war between the USA and China, this book focuses impact on the rest of the world's economies, and explores key areas including neo-protectionism, globalization and restricted trade, inflation volatility, FDI and tariff rates, and the environmental footprint of global trade tariffs. Having previously played the role of campaigner in favour of free trade since the World War II, today's United States has projected itself towards greater protectionism and patriotism. Conclusions arise that tariff wars, as well as trade wars, are damaging for national and transnational economies, as well as other sectors, such as society and environment. Evidence presented in the work illustrates that developed countries are impacted more adversely in comparison to developing zones due to this type of tariff war. Offering a range of illuminating perspectives from under explored developing economies being directly affected by these policies, this collection presents a unique critical insight into this complex and evolving area of geo-political and economic practice.Table of ContentsSECTION I. ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF TRADE WAR Chapter 1. Trade War in the Twenty-First Century: A Historical Perspective; Asim K. Karmakar, and Sebak K. Jana Chapter 2. Tariff War, Unemployment Rate, and Welfare; Nilendu Chatterjee, and Tonmoy Chatterjee Chapter 3. Trade War and its Welfare Consequences: A micro-theoretic introspection; Mainak Bhattacharjee, and Debashis Mazumder Chapter 4. Tradeoff between Globalization and Restricted Trade: Some International Evidence; Richardson Kojo Edeme, Ebikabowei Biedomo Aduku, Nwokoye Stella Ebele and Nkalu Nelson Chapter 5. Tariff War and its Spillover Consequence: A macro-theoretic evaluation; Dipti Ghosh, and Mainak Bhattacharjee Chapter 6. Impact of Tariff War on World Economy especially after WTO - A Time Series Econometric enquiry; Kanchan Datta Chapter 7. Tariff Imposition and Manufacturing Trade: A Comparative Study on the economies of North and South; Madhabendra Sinha, Manohar Kumar Rai, Manish Kumar Rai, and Abhijit Dutta Chapter 8. The Return of Borders to a Borderless World: The China-USA Trade War Saga; Asim K. Karmakar, and Sovik Mukherjee Chapter 9. China and US Economic Policy Uncertainity and its Impact on major International Markets: A Vector Auto Regressive Analysis; Ujjal Protim Dutta, Lipika Kankaria, and Partha Pratim Sengupta Chapter 10. Analysis of the Causes of Trade War between US and China and its Impact on Selected Asian Countries; Rajib Bhattacharyya Chapter 11. Economic Growth and Trade Related Variables: An Empirical Study using Indian data; Chandrima Chakraborty, and Anindita Jana Chapter 12. Changing Export Share of Developing Economies: A Post WTO Scenario; Debabrata Mukhopadhyay, and Dipankar Das Chapter 13. Understanding the Impact of Trade War between US and China on Oil Price Volatility; Hasan Dinçer, Serhat Yüksel, and Gülsüm Sena Uluer Chapter 14. Stochastic Frontier Approach to the Estimation of Total Factor Productivity Growth of Manufacturing Sector: A Pre and Post WTO Regime study of West Bengal and all India; Md Rakibul Hasan, Pinki Bera, and Mihir Kumar Pal Chapter 15. India’s Export under Neo-Protectionism with special emphasis upon EU and Japan; Sudipta Jha, and Ataur Rahman Chapter 16. India’s tea export in the scenario of trade openness: an analysis of trend and structural break; Shrabanti Maity, and Anup Sinha Chapter 17. Impact of Trade War on Developing Countries: A Case Study of India; Faize Ali Shah, Shubhendra Singh Yadav, and Akshay Kumar Satsangi SECTION II. POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS OF TRADE WAR Chapter 18. Political Economy of Trade and Trade Tariffs: The United States and China Trade Policies; Egemen Sertyesilisik Chapter 19. The impact of the trade war on the Military Industrial Complex of United States of America and China; Napoleon Kurantin, and Bertha Z. Osei-Hwedie Chapter 20. The US-China Trading Relations: Dilemmas and Potentialities; Debasish Nandy Chapter 21. Economic Integration or Trumponomics: The Choice is a Big Question for Developing Economies; Abhijit Bhattacharya Chapter 22. Impacts of trade war upon social indicators; Hakan Kalkavan, Hasan Dinçer, and Serhat Yüksel Chapter 23. Revisiting Economic Globalization in the Sustainable Open Exchange System; Megha Jain, and Vani Kanojia Chapter 24. Impacts of the trade policies and trade tariffs on the environmental footprint of the global trade; Begum Sertyesilisik, and Egemen Sertyesilisik Chapter 25. Income and Gender Inequality in India in the Post WTO Period; Tarun Sengupta, and Somnath Mukherjee

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Book SynopsisThe more we ponder, the odder the world can seem. How do footballers get their shirt numbers? Why does having daughters make couples more likely to divorce? How do you move a horse from one country to another? What counts as a journey into space? The keen minds at The Economist contemplate all these questions and more in their quest for the globe's most extraordinary quandaries and conundrums, with bizarre facts and headscratchers that show the world is even stranger than we might have thought. From plant-based milk and supermoons to the next Dalai Lama and what really happened at the storming of the Bastille, this collection of the oddest and most mindboggling explanations will amaze and delight in equal measure.Trade ReviewPraise for Tom Standage: 'Uncommonly brilliant * Daily Mail *The Father Christmas of knowledge -- Giles CorenBooks like this make you wary of ever guessing the answer to anything * Daily Mail *

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Book SynopsisEconomic theory reached its highest level of analytical power and depth in the middle of the nineteenth century among John Stuart Mill and his contemporaries. This book explains classical economics when it was at its height, followed by an analysis of what took place as a result of the ensuing Marginal and Keynesian Revolutions that have left economists less able to understand how economies operate. Chapters explore the false mythology that has obscured the arguments of classical economists, clouding to the point of near invisibility the theories they had developed. Steven Kates offers a thorough understanding of the operation of an economy within a classical framework, providing a new perspective for viewing modern economic theory from the outside. This provocative book not only explains the meaning of Say's Law in an accessible way, but also the origins of the Keynesian revolution and Keynes's pathway in writing The General Theory. It provides a new look at the classical theory of value at its height that was not based, as so many now wrongly believe, on the labour theory of value. A crucial read for economic policy-makers seeking to understand the operation of a market economy, this book should also be of keen interest to economists generally as well as scholars in the history of economic thought.Trade Review‘Classical Economic Theory and the Modern Economy should be a welcome addition to the reading lists of both amateurs and professional economists, whether one’s interest is in macroeconomics or the history of economic thought. Although the book is a worthwhile read on its own without familiarity with Kates’s work, this reviewer believes it really shines when read as a sequel and conclusion to the author’s previous contributions.’ -- Per L Bylund, The Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics'In Classical Economic Theory and the Modern Economy, Kates seeks to correct this dangerous intellectual detour economists took due to Keynes and finally get modern economists to practice economics beyond the shadow of Keynes. It is a Herculean task, but armed with J.B. Say and especially J.S. Mill, Steven Kates makes as strong an effort for resurrection of classical economy theory as can be marshaled. This will be a must read for all students of economics, and a compelling contribution to the history of economic doctrine.' --Peter Boettke, George Mason University, US'This book delivers hard blows to the tenets of modern economics, retells its history and evolution, and pokes holes at our misperceptions of classical economic theory. The result is as much a burial of the macroeconomics of Keynes as it is a resuscitation of the classical economics of J.S. Mill.' --Per Bylund, Oklahoma State University, USTable of ContentsContents: Introduction 1. The Purpose of this Book and Why Only I could Write It 2. The Background 3. The Keynesian Revolution and Classical Theory 4. Understanding Classical Presuppositions, Terminology and Concepts 5. The Classical Theory of Value and the Marginal Revolution 6. Keynesian Theory Overruns the Classics 7. The Basis for Keynes’s Success: Why Keynes was Able to Succeed 8. Classical Theory and the Role of Government 9. Austrian Economics and Classical 10. An Overview of Classical Economic Theory Afterword Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWe are living through a cost of living crisis, with interest rate hikes and the prices of everyday consumables and energy bills sky-rocketing. Why is this happening? Sometimes we are told that wages are too high, or that the government has "printed" too much money or that events far away, such as the war in Ukraine, are solely to blame. The plain argument that high prices go together with high profits, falling wages, and weak production is often distorted and hidden by mainstream commentary in the media and elsewhere. This plain-speaking pamphlet tells it straight: the big businesses dominating production and distribution make huge profits out of high inflation, while working people lose out. It sets out factual evidence to illustrate that the source of record profits is the fall in real wages as inflation rises. A large part of the income of working people is being transferred directly into the profits of big business. The pamphlet shows that the deeper roots of the "cost of living crisis" lie in the very low investment and poor productivity growth for many years. The basic steps to resolving the crisis are simple: prices, especially of essentials, must be brought down, and wages, salaries, benefits, and pensions must be increased.Trade Review[An] excellent little book -- Will Podmore * The Morning Star *A small book with a mighty big punch ... Closely argued in clear, accessible language, [The Cost of Living Crisis] demolishes the decades-old lie that wage rises are the source of inflation, and backs that case with hard facts. * Scottish Socialist Voice *

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times Bestseller'Excellent . . . Filled with knowledge that will help you make better money decisions.' Laura Whateley, author of Money: A User's GuideWe all depend on money every day. But almost none of us understand it.Have you ever wondered why your shopping bill keeps getting more expensive? Or how the government can produce billions out of thin air while your savings are shrinking? Or where you should put your money in an age of economic turmoil? Here, a leading investor offers a crash-course in how money works, and how to make yours go further. You will never look at your bank balance the same way again.'How the global monetary system shapes our everyday personal finances . . . Really, really interesting.' Claer Barrett, author of What They Don't Teach You About Money'Fascinating . . . A bracing ride through the unexpectedly wild world of money.' Ed Conway, author of Material WorldTrade ReviewThis brilliant book offers a singularly clear, accessible and funny introduction to where our economic malaise has come from - and how understanding it can help any of us make better financial decisions. I cannot recommend it highly enough. -- IAIN DALEA pithy and punchy guide that explains in a very engaging and readable manner the essentials of modern finance and economics. It is profoundly useful for anyone wanting to understand why the current global economy is in such a mess, and what that might mean for your own finances. -- GILLIAN TETT, Editor-at-Large of the Financial TimesDix has produced as lucid and comprehensive account of money and its pitfalls as you are likely to find. In an age of elevated prices it is highly relevant to all our lives. -- ALEX BRUMMER, City Editor of the Daily MailA tour of the nuts and bolts that hold the economy together is not supposed to be interesting, but Rob Dix makes it fascinating. This is a bracing ride through the unexpectedly wild world of money. -- ED CONWAY, Economics Editor, Sky NewsVery little affects your quality of life more than money - and it's hard to get and to keep if you don't really understand how it works. After you've read Rob Dix's short, sharp introduction, you will know more than most ordinary people about how money works - and also (I'm sorry to say) rather more than most Cabinet ministers too. -- MERRYN SOMERSET WEBB, Bloomberg Columnist and host of Merryn Talks MoneyAn excellent primer for anyone who ever wondered how the financial system and economy really works - filled with knowledge that will help you make better money decisions in your own life, too. -- LAURA WHATELEY, author of Money: A User’s GuideJohn Maynard Keynes once said that "not one man in a million" truly understands inflation: a state of affairs that is extremely problematic for millions of people and, by extension, for society as a whole. Rob Dix's book The Price of Money is an important contribution to redressing that problem. -- ANDREW CRAIG, Author of How to Own the WorldNot a moment too soon, Rob Dix has laid out in the most refreshing, entertaining, approachable and informative way the historical intricacies, intentional complexity, purposeful ambiguity and frustrating inconsistencies of the global markets, economic policy - and money. The Price of Money should be required reading for anyone who transacts (gets paid, pays for anything or tries to invest) at any point in their journey. As an investor I enjoyed and learned from every page and know other readers will too. -- EILEEN BURBRIDGE, Partner at Passion CapitalA fascinating and surprising tour through how the global monetary system shapes our everyday finances – really, really interesting. -- CLAER BARRETT, Author of What They Don’t Teach You About Money

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Book SynopsisYour expert guide to understanding the models, morals, minefields and mechanisms of the modern global marketplace.What with trickle down and level up, boom and bust, stimulus and stagflation, green investment and Black Monday, the modern landscape of economics is an intriguing place to explore. But how are you expected to navigate the means and ends of this turbulent world?Short Cuts: Economics provides the map you need to start exploring seriously big ideas. A wealth of provocative questions prompt 'short cut' answers written by experts in their field, with each one the setting-off point for instructions to help you plot your path through the economic maze.

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Book SynopsisWe are told that the future of work will be increasingly automated. Algorithms, processing massive amounts of information at startling speed, will lead us to a new world of effortless labour and a post-work utopia of ever expanding leisure. But behind the gleaming surface stands millions of workers, often in the Global South, manually processing data for a pittance.Recent years have seen a boom in online crowdworking platforms like Amazon's Mechanical Turk and Clickworker, and these have become an increasingly important source of work for millions of people. And it is these badly paid tasks, not algorithms, that make our digital lives possible. Used to process data for everything from the mechanics of self-driving cars to Google image search, this is an increasingly powerful part of the new digital economy, although one hidden and rarely spoken of. But what happens to work when it makes itself obsolete. In this stimulating work that blends political economy, studies of contemporary work, and speculations on the future of capitalism, Phil Jones looks at what this often murky and hidden form of labour looks like, and what it says about the state of global capitalism.Trade ReviewBeneath the noisy sphere of autonomous robots and smart assistants, Jones clearly and patiently reveals the hidden abode of underpaid, overworked, and insecure labourers that underpin our digital society. This is an essential guide to an often invisible world. -- Nick Snricek, author of Platform CapitalismLet Phil Jones be your guide to the darkest underbelly of work under digitized capitalism, where tech barons surveil workers' every move and sell their clicks for profit, and the 'job' falls apart but we work more all the time. A beautifully written call to arms to stop this miserable future before it comes for all of us -- Sarah Jaffe, author of Work Won't Love You BackIn this fast-paced and exciting read, Phil Jones explores the hidden abodes of the digital economy, where the world's surplus workers label images, moderate content, and teach algorithms how to identify common house pets, all for a few cents an hour. /Work without the worker/ explores how dispossessed microworkers might band together to spearhead a global movement for free-time and material security. -- Aaron Benanev, author of Automation and the Future of WorkTakes readers to the hidden abode of production of artificial intelligence: a world of precarious, highly exploited, and onerous microwork increasingly performed in the slums, prisons, and refugee camps of sclerotic post-crisis capitalism. With an incandescent urgency, Jones argues that such digitally fragmented piecework threatens livelihoods of all sorts, but also that it offers a tantalizing potential for a world beyond wage labor -- if we can fight for it. -- Gavin Mueller, author of Breaking Things at Work[Phil Jones] establishes himself as a leading figure in what might be called post-accelerationism. -- John Foster * The Battleground *Striking ... After reading Jones' book, it is difficult to look at computers, or those who promote them as our collective salvation, the same way as before. -- Katjo Buissink * Marx & Philosophy *Microwork is the latest proof that technological development doesn't end work, but only produces new forms of labour - and new ways of concealing it. -- Katrina Forrester * London Review of Books *

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Book SynopsisEconomics and the Left presents interviews with 24 leading progressive economists, whose life work has been dedicated to both interpreting the world and changing it for the better. They all deploy the technical tools of their trade-the "dismal science"-in various ways. Much more importantly, they are all people dedicated to the principles of egalitarianism, democracy and ecological sanity. The result is a combustible brew of ideas, commitments and reflections on major historical events, including the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting global economic recession.Interviewed are: Michael Ash, Nelson Henrique Barbosa Filho, James K. Boyce, Ha-Joon Chang, Jane D'Arista, Diane Elson, Gerald Epstein, Nancy Folbre, James K. Galbraith, Teresa Ghilarducci, Jayati Ghosh, Ilene Grabel, Costas Lapavitsas, Zhongjin Li, William Milberg, Léonce Ndikumana, Ozlem Onaran, Robert Pollin, Malcolm Sawyer, Juliet Schor, Anwar Shaikh, William Spriggs, Fiona Tregenna, Thomas WeisskopfTrade ReviewPraise for Chomsky and Pollin: Climate Crisis and the Green New Deal, Verso, 2020:This book is a survival manual for civilization. I want everyone-yes, every person on the planet-to learn its message and to face the challenge it poses: 'What am I doing to help bring about a global Green New Deal in the early years of this decade?' For Americans, the first steps are clear: consign all climate deniers to permanent political oblivion and force all other policymakers to match fine words with deeds-i.e. commit to the Pollin-Chomsky global program for climate stabilization, a massive expansion of good jobs, and just transition. -- Daniel Ellsberg, author of The Doomsday MachinePraise for Chomsky and Pollin: Climate Crisis and the Green New Deal, Verso, 2020:The project that is the Green New Deal is enriched by the insights of two great minds: those of Noam Chomsky and Robert Pollin. Both understand that the GND will fail if it does not protect the jobs and livelihoods of the working class. They explain how a transformation needed to restore the ecosystem can, and will transform the organizations and lives of working people worldwide-for the better. -- Ann Pettifor, author of The Case for The Green New DealPraise for Chomsky and Pollin: Climate Crisis and the Green New Deal, Verso, 2020:Chomsky and Pollin argue it is possible to tackle climate collapse over the next 30 years. A capitalist system that fails to respond does not deserve to survive. * Irish Times *Praise for Chomsky and Pollin: Climate Crisis and the Green New Deal, Verso, 2020:Emphasizes the crisis our planet faces but also says 'there is a solution at hand.' * Irish Examiner *This fascinating collection of interviews with 24 leading progressive economists is profoundly entertaining, revealing, more directly than in their published work, how they came to believe what they believe. The lively interviews convey the infectious excitement of doing research on substantive questions of great social importance and a deep commitment to bringing about equitable and sustainable progress in a mixed economy. Each interviewee offers rare insights into their intellectual biographies and motivations that readers will find nowhere else. Each interview has important intellectual lessons to teach to anyone wishing to understand the world and to improve it. Unendingly gripping. -- Servaas Storm, Professor of Economics, Delft University of TechnologyAs James Galbraith argues in this book, 'economics needs two things: glasnost and perestroika.' This book offers 'glasnost' to anyone interested in the work of some of the most remarkable economists working today, economists whose work is effectively censored by the orthodoxy of the profession. The women economists interviewed- including the remarkable Jane D'Arista - are testament to the need to restructure economics so that women's genius can finally be recognised and celebrated. -- Ann Pettifor, author of The Case for the Green New DealProgressive economists, long voices in the wilderness, have had new influence lately, because the reality they have long described has become demonstrably evident, even to the orthodox. For an introduction to these prophetic voices, you can do no better than to read Economics and the Left: Interviews with Progressive Economics. -- Robert Kuttner, co-editor, The American ProspectThis is a wonderful collection of interviews with a wide variety of inspiring progressive economists who do not only try to understand the world, but also to change it. I learned a lot from it, even about the economists I thought I knew quite well. Reading this book is an enriching and uplifting adventure! -- Irene van Staveren, Professor of Pluralist Development Economics, Erasmus UniversityThis collection of engaging, spirited interviews with economists who have put rigorous economic analysis to work for the common good belongs in the hands of every aspiring economics student. Their accounts of the winding paths that led them to economics are unsparingly honest and contain little-known details that illuminate how their early years influenced their later interests. These economists reject the mainstream, neoclassical framework but embrace economic modes of thinking inspired by a large number of writers- Marx among them - and the tools of rigorous economic analysis including statistics and econometrics. These are used to analyze how class and power, and for some the legacies of slavery and patriarchy, structure labor, commodity and financial markets and market outcomes - persistent wage disparities, unequal burdens of care, food and housing insecurity, environmental degradation, financial instability, and wealth inequality. Intellectually rigorous and morally passionate, their analyses lead to solutions that reside in collective action that respects individual rights, in regulation of markets, and - as the Covid-19 pandemic made clear - in the role of the state in the planning, administration, and allocation of key resources. -- Eileen Appelbaum, Co-director, Center for Economic and Policy AnalysisEconomics and the Left opens a unique window to the hearts and minds of 24 progressive economists -men and women- marked by an extraordinary combination of, on the one hand, brilliance in their academic contributions and of, on the other hand, a passionate commitment to apply their talents -through policy making and advising- to make a better, more equal and sustainable world. This work will be highly enjoyable reading by any economic practitioner, academic or student undergrad and graduate interested in what is -and what is not- the Left in Economics and also by anyone with avid curiosity on how the world economy works and how we can overcome its problems and challenges. -- Juan Carlos Moreno-Brid, Professor of Economics, National Autonomous University of Mexico

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Book SynopsisThe health emergency that broke out in 2020 is a landmark event in the development of capitalism, confirming the underlying change signalled by the Great Crisis of 2007-9. The Pandemic Crisis has catapulted the state to the centre of economic activity. However, a historic impasse is steadily becoming apparent at the core of the world economy Productive accumulation is flaccid, as both profitability and labour productivity are weak. Financialisation has entered a new phase, as "shadow banking" grew relative to other banks but is entirely dependent on the state. The power of the state derives from command over fiat money and can certainly deliver enormous boosts to aggregate demand, but that is not enough to tackle the weakness of the productive sector. The rise in inflation for the first time in forty years indicates the impasse. There is a transparent need for intervention on the supply side, directly challenging capitalist property rights. There is no evidence, however, that the ruling blocs in core countries would engage in such policies.The Pandemic Crisis also brought to the fore fresh divisions of core and periphery across the world economy. Imperialism has assumed new forms, spurred by globally active financial capital and internationalised productive capital. A renewed contest for hegemony has emerged as US power declined. The economic challenge of China will unfold steadily in the years ahead, intensifying political tensions and military rivalries. This book is the work of a research collective comprising authors from several parts of the world. It analyses these vital issues from the perspective of Marxist political economy and puts forth alternative anticapitalist proposals.Trade ReviewA meticulous analysis of what happened when the greatest health crisis since 2018 crashed into the greatest capitalist crisis since 1929. A must read. -- Yanis VaroufakisCapitalism, in its current neoliberal variant, is a perfectly designed system for producing ruinous financial bubbles, massive increases in inequality, and the destruction of the planet. In The State of Capitalism, Costas Lapavitsas and the EReNSEP Writing Collective explain with great scope and force how this has been happening before our eyes for the past 40 years, in all regions of the globe. Critically, they also advance a clear-eyed political program for transcending neoliberalism and building viable democratic socialist alternatives. -- Robert Pollin, Distinguished University Professor of Economics and Co-Director, Political Economy Research InstituteThe State of Capitalism provides an elegant and exhaustive analysis of the changing faces of financialization, neoliberalism, state power and US empire - and how the left must adapt and respond. Lapavitsas develops a typically brilliant and incisive narrative on the transformation of global capitalism since the turn of the century, and shows how these changes formed the foundations of the era of perennial crisis in which we now live. -- Grace BlakeleyIf you wish to conclude your year consolidating your understanding of the world economy and its geopolitical elements, this book certainly offers the opportunity to do so. It is well written and easily accessible to the non-economist. -- Mathew D. Rose * Brave New Europe *

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Book SynopsisLonglisted for the FT Schroders Business Book of the Year Award 2023 - A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: GQ, Los Angeles Times, WiredWherever you look, money is being re- placed by tokens. Digital platforms are issuing new kinds of money-like things: phone credit, shares, gift vouchers, game tokens, customer data-the list goes on. But what does it mean when online platforms become the new banks? What new types of control and discrimination emerge when money is tied to specific apps or actions, politics or identities?Tokens opens up this new and expanding world. Exploring the history of extra- monetary economies, Rachel O'Dwyer shows that private and grassroots tokens have always haunted the real economy. But as the large tech platforms issue new money-like instruments, tokens are suddenly everywhere. Amazon's Turk workers are getting paid in gift cards. Online streamers trade in wishlists. Foreign remittances are sent via phone credit. Bitcoin, gift cards, NFTs, customer data, and game tokens are the new money in an evolving economy. It is a development challenging the balance of power between online empires and the state. Tokens may offer a flexible even subversive route to compensation. But for the platforms them- selves they can be a means of amassing frightening new powers.An essential read for anyone concerned with digital money, inequality, and the future of the economy.Trade ReviewAn important addition to the growing blockchain canon, written with wit and generosity. -- Kate Knibbs, Best Books of 2023 * WIRED *Tokens deftly gives the basic concept that animates cryptocurrency - the titular token - the critical and historical treatment. -- Brian Merchant, Best Tech Books of 2023 * LA Times *Rachel O'Dwyer offers an introduction to the politics of modern tech darlings: from cryptocurrency to Web3. [Tokens] explores the future of money, which O'Dwyer points out is increasingly "being replaced by tokens", and questions what it means when digital platforms become the new banks. While these tokens offer new types of relationships, ownership, and governance, O'Dwyer warns that they also usher in novel forms of surveillance and discipline. -- Brit Dawson, All the best books to look forward to in 2023 * GQ *Rachel O'Dywer takes us on a fascinating and important journey into the vast realm of hidden currencies that operate in the shadows of mainstream money systems. She shows how unorthodox tokens have been enlisted by those seeking emancipation, but rather than uncritically praising them as breakthrough innovations, she also skillfully draws out the deep ambiguities inherent within them: powerful corporate players are quick to take advantage of the grey area on the edge of standard monetary systems to accumulate more profit and data. A must read for anyone exploring the politics of Big Tech and Big Finance. -- Brett Scott, author of Cloud MoneyNo one has done more thoughtful research or has more nuanced takes than Rachel O'Dwyer. She mercilessly cuts through the hype and yet leaves room for hope. -- Lana Swartz, author of New MoneyIn this endlessly fascinating book, Rachel O'Dwyer illuminates the deep strangeness and complexity of money. Written with engaging style and deep intellectual rigour, Tokens is a bracing and enriching exploration of the future of techno-capitalism. -- Mark O'Connell, author of A Thread of ViolenceToken economies are not your typical markets. Enabling a recent explosion of digital grey economies, tokens are used to represent belonging, appreciation, fandom and exclusivity mediating identities, access and incomes across the vast peripheries of the formal economy. Read O'Dwyers book immediately for a full spectrum overview of how tokens have facilitated fields of social potential and experimentation that have nevertheless been locked down and exploited by the tech companies who own the underlying rails. -- Jaya Klara BrekkeThere's much food for thought in there, often of the kinds that impact our daily lives...O'Dwyer is an engaging, amusing writer. -- Megan Volpert * Popmatters *A cautionary, comprehensive look at money and its virtual discontents * Kirkus Reviews *A groundbreaking exploration of the evolving landscape of tokens beyond the usual critique of financialisation. Through a captivating exploration of history, O'Dwyer reveals the deeply political nature of tokens, shedding light on their enduring presence and demonstrating how today's digital tokens are simply a continuation of humanity's longstanding use of tokens to facilitate a wide range of social processes. * Blockchain Socialist *A must-read for anyone seeking to navigate this new world and shape a fairer future. * Denizen *A sharp, accessible deep-dive on just what is going on with crypto * The Handbook *[Tokens] raises fascinating questions about the future of money -- Régine Debatty * We Make Money Not Art *Shot through with references to philosophy, credit scores and sociological treatises on the nature of money ... [O'Dwyer] leavens the theory with interviews and stories of people who have been sucked into the digital token economy in different ways -- Brooke Masters * Financial Times *[A] timely panorama. -- Chris Horn * Irish Times *This book offers a deep dive - a very deep dive - into how contemporary tokens work, and the consequences of their use, both for the good and for the bad ... A must-read for anyone who cares about the future of money and what the consequences will be for all of us. * The Arts Fuse *Riveting -- Stuart Jeffries * Prospect *Table of Contents1. A Bit of Cheer2. Money Talks, Tokens Track3. Programmable Butter4. Money, but Let's Make It Social5. Eat the Rich6. Trust in the Code7. Outside of Borders8. A Celestial Cyberdimension9. 'When You Live in a Shithole, There's Always the Metaverse'

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Book SynopsisTHIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE.The current financial crisis has only one parallel: the Wall Street Crash of 1929 and subsequent Great Depression of the 1930s, which crippled the future of an entire generation and set the stage for the horrors of the Second World War. Yet the economic meltdown could have been avoided, had it not been for the decisions taken by a small number of central bankers.In Lords of Finance, we meet these men, the four bankers who truly broke the world: the enigmatic Norman Montaguof the bank of England, Benjamin Strong of the NY Federal Reserve, the arrogant yet brilliant Hjalmar Schacht of the Reichsbanlk and the xenophobic Emile Moreau of the Banque de France. Their names were lost to history, their lives and actions forgotten, until now. Liaquat Ahamed tells their story in vivid and gripping detail, in a timely and arresting reminder that individuals - their ambitions, limitations and human nature - lie at the very heart of global catastrophe.Trade Review'Highly readable... [Ahamed] cannot have foreseen how timely his book would be. -- Niall Ferguson * FT *'Fascinating... a brisk, original, incisive and entertaining account of a crucial time in the world's economic history that continues to affect us all today. Anyone who wants to understand the origins of the economic world we live in would do well to read this book' * Michael Beschloss *One of those rare books - authoritative, readable and relevant - that puts the "story" back into history... a spellbinding, richly human [and] cinematic narrative. * Strobe Talbott *A great read. * George Soros *Absorbing [and] provocative, not least because it is still relevant. * The Economist *

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Book SynopsisThis is the best-selling book written by the co-founder of the Fairtrade movement, Francisco Van der Hoff Boersma. It tells the fascinating story of how Fairtrade began and how it has evolved as a potent solution to rural poverty. It offers practical and tested solutions to alleviate global poverty and a vision of world-dignity and self-reliance. This 'little yellow book' is a charter for everyone who is looking to create an alternative, more equitable and harmonious world. Written by the co-founder of Fairtrade movement, Francisco Van der Hoff Boersma, it uses models of Fairtrade and small-scale organic farming to explain why Fairtrade farmers don't need all the money and luxury that is deemed so important in the West to thrive. By earning a fair wage for their produce and through hard work, they can create inclusive, vibrant communities of people who are interconnected, valued and celebrated. The author also tells the fascinating story of how Fairtrade began and how it has evolved as a potent solution to rural poverty.This best-selling book is an inspiring account of the campesino movement that offers practical and tested solutions to alleviate global poverty and a vision of world-dignity and self- reliance.Trade ReviewVan der Hoff brings to life the story of Fairtrade, a story for the new world. He has demonstrated through word and action that by taking a vision and making it a reality, that a better world is indeed possible. His experience proves this: by plotting the route and leading by example, many more can follow - where people and planet are put first. Polly Higgins, Award-winning author of 'Eradicating Ecocide' and advocate for Ecocide law and Earth law

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