Economics Books

From the bestselling author of What's the Matter With Kansas, a scathing look at the standard-bearers of liberal politics -- a book that asks: what's the matter with Democrats? It is a widespread belief among liberals that if only Democrats can continue to dominate national elections, if only those awful Republicans are beaten into submission, the country will be on the right course. But this is to fundamentally misunderstand the modern Democratic Party. Drawing on years of research and first-hand reporting, Frank points out that the Democrats have done little to advance traditional liberal goals: expanding opportunity, fighting for social justice, and ensuring that workers get a fair deal. Indeed, they have scarcely dented the free-market consensus at all. This is not for lack of opportunity: Democrats have occupied the White House for sixteen of the last twenty-four years, and yet the decline of the middle class has only accelerated. Wall Street gets its bailouts, wages keep falling, and the free-trade deals keep coming. With his trademark sardonic wit and lacerating logic, Frank's Listen, Liberal lays bare the essence of the Democratic Party's philosophy and how it has changed over the years. A form of corporate and cultural elitism has largely eclipsed the party's old working-class commitment, he finds. For certain favored groups, this has meant prosperity. But for the nation as a whole, it is a one-way ticket into the abyss of inequality. In this critical election year, Frank recalls the Democrats to their historic goals-the only way to reverse the ever-deepening rift between the rich and the poor in America.

This book is a must-read for anyone who wants a comprehensive understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic first began and how it spread around the world. Michael Lewis delivers a gripping chronicle of the early days of COVID-19, and how the US fumbled its response. With powerful storytelling, the book highlights the bravery of people on the front lines and showcases how much we have yet to learn about how to handle pandemics. Highly recommended for anyone interested in public health and healthcare policy.

The Attention Merchants is a unique and insightful take on the history of advertising and its effects on society. Tim Wu provides a compelling argument for the importance of paying attention to the attention economy and how it impacts not only our daily lives, but our culture as a whole. This book is definitely a must-read for anyone interested in media, advertising or the internet.

Learn what sets high achievers apart -- from Bill Gates to the Beatles -- in this #1 bestseller from "a singular talent" (New York Times Book Review).In this stunning book, Malcolm Gladwell takes us on an intellectual journey through the world of "outliers"--the best and the brightest, the most famous and the most successful. He asks the question: what makes high-achievers different?His answer is that we pay too much attention to what successful people are like, and too little attention to where they are from: that is, their culture, their family, their generation, and the idiosyncratic experiences of their upbringing. Along the way he explains the secrets of software billionaires, what it takes to be a great soccer player, why Asians are good at math, and what made the Beatles the greatest rock band.Brilliant and entertaining, Outliers is a landmark work that will simultaneously delight and illuminate.

“Marvelously entertaining, exciting and informative.” — Guardian“An engaging and accessible history.” — New York Review of BooksThis group biography is “an exhilarating page-turner” and “outstanding critical introduction” to the work and legacy of the Frankfurt School, and the great 20th-century thinkers who created it ( Washington Post ).In 1923, a group of young radical German thinkers and intellectuals came together to at Victoria Alle 7, Frankfurt, determined to explain the workings of the modern world. Among the most prominent members of what became the Frankfurt School were the philosophers Walter Benjamin, Theodor Adorno, Max Horkheimer, and Herbert Marcuse. Not only would they change the way we think, but also the subjects we deem worthy of intellectual investigation. Their lives, like their ideas, profoundly, sometimes tragically, reflected and shaped the shattering events of the twentieth century.Grand Hotel Abyss combines biography, philosophy, and storytelling to reveal how the Frankfurt thinkers gathered in hopes of understanding the politics of culture during the rise of fascism. Some of them, forced to escape the horrors of Nazi Germany, later found exile in the United States. Benjamin, with his last great work—the incomplete Arcades Project —in his suitcase, was arrested in Spain and committed suicide when threatened with deportation to Nazi-occupied France. On the other side of the Atlantic, Adorno failed in his bid to become a Hollywood screenwriter, denounced jazz, and even met Charlie Chaplin in Malibu.After the war, there was a resurgence of interest in the School. From the relative comfort of sun-drenched California, Herbert Marcuse wrote the classic One Dimensional Man , which influenced the 1960s counterculture and thinkers such as Angela Davis; while in a tragic coda, Adorno died from a heart attack following confrontations with student radicals in Berlin.By taking popular culture seriously as an object of study—whether it was film, music, ideas, or consumerism—the Frankfurt School elaborated upon the nature and crisis of our mass-produced, mechanized society. Grand Hotel Abyss shows how much these ideas still tell us about our age of social media and runaway consumption.

How does a democracy die?What can we do to save our own?What lessons does history teach us?In the 21st century democracy is threatened like never before. Drawing insightful lessons from across history - from Pinochet's murderous Chilean regime to Erdogan's quiet dismantling in Turkey - Levitsky and Ziblatt explain why democracies fail, how leaders like Trump subvert them today and what each of us can do to protect our democratic rights. (An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.)

The Art of Choosing is a must-read for anyone curious about human decision-making. Sheena Iyengar interviews diverse individuals, explores cultural differences, and offers insightful research to reveal how individuals make choices. This book is perfect for those wanting to develop their decision-making skills and gain greater understanding of choosing against one's best interests.

As severe environmental degradation, breathtaking inequality, and increasing alienation push capitalism against its own contradictions, mythmaking has become as central to sustaining our economy as profitmaking. Enter the new prophets of capital: Sheryl Sandberg touting the capitalist work ethic as the antidote to gender inequality; John Mackey promising that free markets will heal the planet; Oprah Winfrey urging us to find solutions to poverty and alienation within ourselves; and Bill and Melinda Gates offering the generosity of the 1 percent as the answer to a persistent, systemic inequality. The new prophets of capital buttress an exploitative system, even as the cracks grow more visible.

"Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds is a captivating read for those interested in understanding the psychology of crowds and the irrationality of human behavior. The book explores various swindles, schemes, and scams throughout history and provides an entertaining yet thought-provoking account of why people fall for them. It also delves into fads and delusions that continue to persist today. The author's engaging writing style and in-depth research make this book a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the darker side of human nature."

This book would be a good read for individuals interested in understanding the root causes of social and political issues affecting the world today. Noam Chomsky's analysis of topics such as neoliberalism, refugee crisis, and US electoral system provides a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by society. Chomsky's emphasis on embracing optimism and activism in the face of these challenges makes this book a source of inspiration for those seeking to make positive social change.

Why are we more likely to fall in love when we feel in danger? Why would an experienced pilot disregard his training and the rules of the aviation industry, leading to the deadliest airline crash in history? Why do we find it near-impossible to re-evaluate our first impressions of a person or situation, even when the evidence shows we were wrong? Discover the answers in Sway . We all believe we are rational beings, yet the truth is that we're much more prone to irrational behaviour than we realise or like to admit. In this compelling book, Ori and Rom Brafman reveal why. Looking at irrational behaviour in fields as diverse as medicine, archaeology and the legal system, they chart the psychological undercurrents that influence even our most basic decisions. In doing so they draw on the latest research in social psychology and behavioural economics to reveal the irresistible forces that sway us all. Sway is a fascinating insight into the way we all behave and will change the way you view the world.

Misbehaving is an eye-opening book that presents an entirely new lens through which to understand human behavior. Through examining our tendency to make decisions that deviate from rationality, Richard Thaler provides insight on how to make better decisions. He uses practical examples to explain complex concepts, making the book highly engaging. It is recommended for anyone looking to understand the intersection of psychology and economics and how it can be applied to everyday life.

'THE POLITICAL BOOK OF THE YEAR' Sunday Times SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE by director Ron Howard 'You will not read a more important book about America this year' Economist 'A memoir of life in the Trump-voting white working class is the political book of the year' Sunday Times 'Hillbilly Elegy' is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis-that of white working-class Americans. The decline of this group, a demographic of our country that has been slowly disintegrating over forty years, has been reported on with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside.

It's a belief that unites the left and right, psychologists and philosophers, writers and historians. It drives the headlines that surround us and the laws that touch our lives. From Machiavelli to Hobbes, Freud to Dawkins, the roots of this belief have sunk deep into Western thought. Human beings, we're taught, are by nature selfish and governed by self-interest.Humankind makes a new argument: that it is realistic, as well as revolutionary, to assume that people are good. The instinct to cooperate rather than compete, trust rather than distrust, has an evolutionary basis going right back to the beginning of Homo sapiens. By thinking the worst of others, we bring out the worst in our politics and economics too.In this major book, internationally bestselling author Rutger Bregman takes some of the world's most famous studies and events and reframes them, providing a new perspective on the last 200,000 years of human history. From the real-life Lord of the Flies to the Blitz, a Siberian fox farm to an infamous New York murder, Stanley Milgram's Yale shock machine to the Stanford prison experiment, Bregman shows how believing in human kindness and altruism can be a new way to think – and act as the foundation for achieving true change in our society.It is time for a new view of human nature.

If you cut off a spider's head, it dies; if you cut off a starfish's leg it grows a new one, and that leg can grow into an entirely new starfish. Traditional top-down organizations are like spiders, but now starfish organizations are changing the face of business and the world.What's the hidden power behind the success of Wikipedia, craigslist, and Skype? What do eBay and General Electric have in common with the abolitionist and women's rights movements? What fundamental choice put General Motors and Toyota on vastly different paths?Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom have discovered some unexpected answers, gripping stories, and a tapestry of unlikely connections. The Starfish and the Spider explores what happens when starfish take on spiders and reveals how established companies and institutions, from IBM to Intuit to the U.S. government, are also learning how to incorporate starfish principles to achieve success.

This book is a must-read for those who want to challenge their preconceived notions and understand the hidden forces that shape our world. With captivating storytelling and thought-provoking insights, Nassim Nicholas Taleb takes us on a journey to unravel the mysteries of black swan events – those unexpected, game-changing occurrences that defy our predictions. Through a mix of philosophy and empirical evidence, Taleb challenges our illusion of knowledge and guides us to embrace uncertainty, helping us navigate a world where the unexpected is the norm. Get ready to have your mind blown and your perspective forever altered.

This book develops an original theory of group and organizational behavior that cuts across disciplinary lines and illustrates the theory with empirical and historical studies of particular organizations. Applying economic analysis to the subjects of the political scientist, sociologist, and economist, Mancur Olson examines the extent to which the individuals that share a common interest find it in their individual interest to bear the costs of the organizational effort.The theory shows that most organizations produce what the economist calls “public goods”―goods or services that are available to every member, whether or not he has borne any of the costs of providing them. Economists have long understood that defense, law, and order were public goods that could not be marketed to individuals, and that taxation was necessary. They have not, however, taken account of the fact that private as well as governmental organizations produce public goods.The services the labor union provides for the worker it represents, or the benefits a lobby obtains for the group it represents, are public they automatically go to every individual in the group, whether or not he helped bear the costs. It follows that, just as governments require compulsory taxation, many large private organizations require special (and sometimes coercive) devices to obtain the resources they need. This is not true of smaller organizations for, as this book shows, small and large organizations support themselves in entirely different ways. The theory indicates that, though small groups can act to further their interest much more easily than large ones, they will tend to devote too few resources to the satisfaction of their common interests, and that there is a surprising tendency for the “lesser” members of the small group to exploit the “greater” members by making them bear a disproportionate share of the burden of any group action.All of the theory in the book is in Chapter 1; the remaining chapters contain empirical and historical evidence of the theory’s relevance to labor unions, pressure groups, corporations, and Marxian class action.

Freakonomics is a fascinating exploration of the hidden side of the world we live in. Levitt and Dubner use their unique analytical perspective to unveil the truth about things we thought we understood but don't. Their unconventional approach to analyzing data leads to surprising and thought-provoking insights on everything from cheating teachers to bizarre baby names. This book is a must-read for anyone looking for unconventional and intriguing perspectives on complex phenomena.