New Books in Economics

Daryl Fairweather, Chief Economist at Redfin and the first Black woman to earn an economics PhD from the University of Chicago, shares her insights on using economic principles to navigate life’s big decisions. She discusses how economic theories can empower personal choices—from negotiating salaries to deciding when to buy a home. Fairweather also advocates for land value taxation as a fairer alternative to traditional property taxes, aiming to improve housing accessibility. Her unique blend of personal experience and behavioral economics makes complex ideas approachable.

Ståle Holgersen, a Senior Lecturer in Human Geography at Stockholm University and author of 'Against the Crisis', offers an insightful analysis of the intertwined nature of economic and ecological crises. He critiques the simplistic views of crisis, arguing that they reflect capitalism's inherent contradictions. Holgersen delves into how crises exacerbate class divides and systemic discrimination, emphasizing the need for ecosocialism as a response. He also discusses the lessons learned from COVID-19 regarding socioeconomic disparities and highlights the necessity for collective action.

John Kay, a distinguished British economist and author, dives into the complex realities of modern business in his latest work. He questions traditional profit-driven narratives and argues for the rising significance of human capital over mere financial assets. The discussion highlights the dramatic shift from long-standing corporate giants to the prevalence of 'hollow corporations.' Kay also addresses the evolution of business leadership, urging a fresh perspective on management and innovation in our fast-paced economy.

Wolfgang Streeck, former director at the Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies, delves into the growing divide between elites and the public in democracies. He discusses the rise of populism as a backlash against centralized control, the educational and immigration divides shaping political sentiments, and the evolving geopolitical dynamics between the U.S. and Europe. Streeck's insights reveal the complexities of modern globalism and the urgent need for more democratic governance amidst shifting power balances.

Peter Andreas, John Hay Professor of International Studies at Brown University and author of influential works like "Border Games," dives deep into the complexities of Trump's border policies. He discusses why these policies resonate despite lower deportation rates, exploring the performative politics surrounding the U.S.-Mexico border. Andreas sheds light on the nuances of the illicit economy, the blurred lines between legal and illegal trade, and how fentanyl and tariffs shape U.S. relations with neighboring countries.

Chris Skinner, a notable author and commentator on financial technology, shares his insights from his latest book on intelligent money management. He delves into the integration of AI and machine learning in everyday financial decisions, transforming how we manage our money. The conversation covers the future of digital transactions, enhanced by augmented reality and the vital role of cash in crises. Skinner also discusses the challenges of building digital trust in finance, emphasizing the need for solid data systems to tackle risks in intelligent banking.

Peoples & Things host, Lee Vinsel, talks with retired professor, consultant, Discovery Institute fellow, and a winner of the NTT DoCoMo Mobile Science Award, Jeffrey Lee Funk, about his recent book Unicorns, Hype, and Bubbles: A Guide to Spotting, Avoiding, and Exploiting Investment Bubbles in Tech (Harriman House, 2024). The book provides readers with fundamental tools for exploring technology markets and spotting financial bubbles, which have been recurring at a high rate in recent decades. In addition to talking through the basic perspectives the book provides, Vinsel and Funk also talk through examples of recent technology bubbles, including the likely current bubble centered on generative AI. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/economics

A riveting expose of the global oil industry' s multi-decade conspiracy to muddy the waters around the science of climate change and use the Australian government to undermine worldwide efforts to address environmental devastation. Researched and written by one of Australia' s most fearless investigative journalists, Slick: Australia's Toxic Relationship with Big Oil (U Queensland Press, 2024) reveals how the US petroleum industry was warned about its environmental impacts back in the 1950s and yet went on to build the Australian oil industry, which in turn tried to drill the Great Barrier Reef, sought to strongarm governments, and joined a global effort to bury the science of climate change and delay action despite knowing the harms it would cause. Slick also tells the stories of fire and flood survivors, as well as of the activists engaged in a high-risk fight for the future of Australia and of the efforts being made to save ourselves from catastrophe. In this superb, in-depth work of journalism, Royce Kurmelovs provides an on-the-ground examination of how the fossil fuel industry captured Australia, and outlines what' s at stake for the survival of the planet and our democracy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/economics

Religion in the twenty-first century is alive and well across the world, despite its apparent decline in North America and parts of Europe. Vigorous competition between and within religious movements has led to their accumulating great power and wealth. Religions in many traditions have honed their competitive strategies over thousands of years. Today, they are big business; like businesses, they must recruit, raise funds, disburse budgets, manage facilities, organize transportation, motivate employees, and get their message out.In The Divine Economy (Princeton UP, 2024), economist Paul Seabright argues that religious movements are a special kind of business: they are platforms, bringing together communities of members who seek many different things from one another—spiritual fulfilment, friendship and marriage networks, even business opportunities. Their function as platforms, he contends, is what has allowed religions to consolidate and wield power.This power can be used for good, especially when religious movements provide their members with insurance against the shocks of modern life, and a sense of worth in their communities. It can also be used for harm: political leaders often instrumentalize religious movements for authoritarian ends, and religious leaders can exploit the trust of members to inflict sexual, emotional, financial or physical abuse, or to provoke violence against outsiders. Writing in a nonpartisan spirit, Seabright uses insights from economics to show how religion and secular society can work together in a world where some people feel no need for religion, but many continue to respond with enthusiasm to its call.Paul Seabright teaches economics at the Toulouse School of Economics, and until 2021 was director of the multidisciplinary Institute for Advanced Study in Toulouse. From 2021 to 2023, he was a Fellow of All Souls College at the University of Oxford. His books include The War of the Sexes: How Conflict and Cooperation Have Shaped Men and Women from Prehistory to the Present and The Company of Strangers: A Natural History of Economic Life (both Princeton).Morteza Hajizadeh is a Ph.D. graduate in English from the University of Auckland in New Zealand. His research interests are Cultural Studies; Critical Theory; Environmental History; Medieval (Intellectual) History; Gothic Studies; 18th and 19th Century British Literature. YouTube channel. Twitter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/economics

China’s breathtaking economic development has been driven by bureaucrats. Even as the country transitioned away from socialist planning toward a market economy, the economic bureaucracy retained a striking degree of influence and control over crafting and implementing policy. Yet bureaucrats are often dismissed as faceless and inconsequential, their role neglected in favor of party leaders’ top-down rule or bottom-up initiatives.<Markets with Bureaucratic Characteristics (Columbia UP, 2024) offers a new account of economic policy making in China over the past four decades that reveals how bureaucrats have spurred large-scale transformations from within. Yingyao Wang demonstrates how competition among bureaucrats motivated by careerism has led to the emergence of new policy approaches. Second-tier economic bureaucrats instituted distinctive―and often conflicting―“policy paradigms” aimed at securing their standing and rewriting China’s long-term development plans for their own benefit. Emerging from the middle levels of the bureaucracy, these policy paradigms ultimately reorganized the Chinese economy and reshaped state-market relations. Drawing on fine-grained biographical and interview data, Wang traces how officials coalesced around shared career trajectories, generational experiences, and social networks to create new alliances and rivalries. Shedding new light on the making and trajectory of China’s ambitious economic reforms, this book also provides keen sociological insight into the relations among bureaucracy, states, and markets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/economics