New Books in Economics

Robert Vitalis, an expert on U.S. energy policy and author of 'America's Kingdom,' explores the misconceptions surrounding oil in his latest work. He challenges the myths of scarcity and the perceived necessity of U.S.-Saudi relations, emphasizing that oil operates like any commodity, subject to market forces. Vitalis unpacks the historical influences on U.S. foreign policy related to oil, revealing how longstanding narratives on oil security are often misleading. His insights prompt a critical reassessment of energy policy and its implications for race and imperialism.

Eyck Freymann, a DPhil Candidate in China Studies at the University of Oxford, delves into China’s One Belt One Road initiative, the largest infrastructure program in history. He reveals the strategic and political significance behind OBOR, emphasizing that it transcends mere infrastructure, aiming to enhance China’s global influence. Freymann debunks myths regarding debt traps and highlights the complexities of local perceptions in participating countries. Ultimately, he argues that OBOR reflects Xi Jinping’s desire to restore China's status on the world stage.

Robert McCorquodale, an expert in Business and Human Rights Law, discusses the evolving responsibilities of businesses towards human rights. He highlights the shift from state obligations to corporate accountability, citing significant cases like the Bhopal disaster. The impact of globalization on corporate accountability is examined, alongside the importance of the UN Guiding Principles. McCorquodale also delves into the complexities of state responsibility, the vital role of remedies for victims, and how the financial sector can influence ethical practices in business.

The Power to Persuade: Strategic Arguing at the World Trade Organization (University of Toronto Press, 2024) by Dr. Angela Geck provides an innovative and eye-opening analysis of strategic arguing as a means of power in global politics. Based on an empirical case study of arguing processes in the World Trade Organization (WTO), the book shows how discursive contexts, institutional norms and procedures, and unequal human resources condition who has the power to persuade.While accounts of arguing in international relations are typically based on a notion of arguing as a power-free mode of interaction oriented towards understanding, Dr. Geck shows how such an approach precludes the question of persuasive power. Drawing on in-depth interviews with Geneva diplomats and a document-based analysis of the negotiations on two Doha Round issues, the book examines the practices governing strategic arguing in the WTO and uncovers two sources of persuasive power: firstly, prevalent discourses and connected regime norms empower some actors over others; secondly, their ability to debate is conditioned by exclusionary procedures and unequal human resources.Offering a grounded theory of strategic arguing in trade politics, The Power to Persuade presents a novel analysis of the relationship between arguing and power.This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose new book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/economics

In this discussion, Gregory Makoff, an expert in sovereign debt law, unveils the gripping saga of Argentina's $100 billion debt crisis. He delves into the complexities of international financial systems and the unique challenges nations face when defaulting. The podcast highlights the intense legal battles with holdout creditors and the critical role of the IMF in restructuring efforts. Makoff also discusses the political and economic chaos that followed the default, showcasing the dramatic interplay between courts, governments, and global finance.

Matthew Archer, an assistant professor at Maastricht University specializing in environmental social sciences, dives into the complexities of corporate sustainability. He critiques the obsession with metrics, arguing that data-driven approaches often obscure deeper issues like social inequality and corporate power. Archer highlights case studies, such as the sustainability standards in the Kenyan tea industry, showcasing how corporate interests can disadvantage small producers. He calls for a holistic perspective on sustainability that prioritizes ethical accountability and genuine environmental action.

Non-profit organizations play an indispensable role in the world today, and are consistently rated higher than governments, the media or businesses in term of public trust. Yet many non-profit organizations suffer from dysfunction. New non-profit leaders find themselves unprepared for the challenges ahead, and even seasoned leaders often struggle to ensure their organizations achieve the impact they aim for.  In How to Lead Non-Profits: Turning Purpose into Impact to Change the World (BenBella Books, 2024), Nick Grono, CEO of the Freedom Fund and former Deputy President of the International Crisis Group (ICG), provides a leadership framework that focuses on what truly drives success: maximizing impact by staying true to your organization's purpose, fostering an inclusive culture that inspires and empowers your team, and collaborating with the communities you serve, as well as with funders and peer organizations, to amplify your impact.There are countless books on organizational management and leadership. But most of them come from the business, for-profit, world, whose solutions do not translate well to the fundamentally different world of NGOs and charities. How to Lead Non-Profits fills that gap. Featuring insights and examples from nonprofit and charity leaders around the world, and informed by Grono's extensive experience, this book offers practical advice on how to use the power of purpose to shape every aspect of non-profit organizations—both internally and externally—as they work to make a difference in the world.This is an excellent guide not only for people in leadership positions, but also for anyone who works—or is considering working—in the non-profit sector; wants to start their own non-profit; serves on a non-profit Board or is simply curious about what good leadership in the non-profit sector looks like, regardless of who is in charge. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/economics

What is money? Why are trillions of dollars, euros, pounds, and yen being printed, but not spent, and what does this reveal about the state of our society?Money, as we know it, was born in 1971 when currencies unlinked from gold. During its adolescence, money was hyperactive, causing rampant inflation. Three decades of mature growth followed. But as it reaches the age of fifty, money is changing again, and facing a figurative mid-life crisis.Zvi Schreiber's book Money, Going Out of Style: The Story of Money and the Mystery of Its Decline (2021) first offers the reader a clear understanding of economics and the role of money, by following a fictional island tribe as they develop money and an ever more sophisticated economy. The book never forgets that money is secondary to the real economy of goods, services, and tools.Armed with this deeper appreciation of money and economics, the book returns to the present day to examine money's midlife crisis: the effect of rising inequality, the puzzle of near-zero interest rates, and how this is causing money to go out of style. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/economics

Tehila Sasson, an author focused on the intersection of nonprofits and neoliberalism, discusses how British NGOs shaped ethical capitalism after the empire's decline. She explores the role of nonprofits in promoting fair trade and corporate social responsibility, revealing a path to neoliberalism driven by a liberal left vision. The conversation navigates colonial legacies, microfinance evolution, and the critique of debt practices in developing nations, unveiling the transformative power and ethical complexities of these organizations in the global economy.

Across the world, algorithms are changing the nature of work. Nowhere is this clearer than in the logistics and distribution sectors, where workers are instructed, tracked and monitored by increasingly dystopian management technologies.In Cyberboss: The Rise of Algorithmic Management and the New Struggle for Control at Work (Verso, 2024), Craig Gent takes us into workplaces where algorithms rule to excavate the politics behind the newest form of managerial power. Combining worker testimony and original research on companies such as Amazon, Uber, and Deliveroo, the cutting edge of algorithmic management technology, this book reveals the sometimes unexpected effects these new techniques have on work, workers and managers. Gent advances an alternative politics of resistance in the face of digital control.Louisa Hann attained a PhD in English and American studies from the University of Manchester in 2021, specialising in the political economy of HIV/AIDS theatres. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/economics