Political Economy

Packed with infographics and flowcharts that explain complex concepts clearly and simply, this book examines the economic forces that shape all our lives. From the earliest forms of currency to the Industrial Revolution, and from the birth of the stock market to free-market capit...alism and globalized trade, The Little Book of Economics brings economic theory and the work of key economists to life. Journeying through centuries of economic thought, it is the perfect pocket-sized introduction to the subject. One of a series of new, compact sister titles to DK's Big Ideas series, The Little Book of Economics offers you the same combination of clear text and hard-working infographics in a portable format that is perfect for reading on the go.
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What would a fair and equal society look like? In this ingenious book, world-famous economist Yanis Varoufakis draws on the greatest thinkers in European culture from Plato to Marx to offer us a dramatic and tantalising glimpse of this brave new world, where the principles of dem...ocracy, equality and justice are truly served.
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'This is a beautifully written and important book. Read it' Martin Wolf, Financial Times From world-renowned economist Paul Collier, a candid diagnosis of the failures of capitalism and a pragmatic and realistic vision for how we can repair it Deep new rifts are tearing apart the... fabric of Britain and other Western societies: thriving cities versus the provinces, the highly skilled elite versus the less educated, wealthy versus developing countries. As these divides deepen, we have lost the sense of ethical obligation to others that was crucial to the rise of post-war social democracy. So far these rifts have been answered only by the revivalist ideologies of populism and socialism, leading to the seismic upheavals of Trump, Brexit and the return of the far right in Germany. We have heard many critiques of capitalism but no one has laid out a realistic way to fix it, until now. In a passionate and polemical book, celebrated economist Paul Collier outlines brilliantly original and ethical ways of healing these rifts - economic, social and cultural - with the cool head of pragmatism, rather than the fervour of ideological revivalism. He reveals how he has personally lived across these three divides, moving from working-class Sheffield to hyper-competitive Oxford, and working between Britain and Africa, and acknowledges some of the failings of his profession. Drawing on his own solutions as well as ideas from some of the world's most distinguished social scientists, he shows us how to save capitalism from itself - and free ourselves from the intellectual baggage of the 20th century. These times are in desperate need of Paul Collier's insights. The Future of Capitalism restores common sense to our views of morality, as it also describes their critical role in what makes families, organizations, and nations work. It is the most revolutionary work of social science since Keynes. Let's hope it will also be the most influential - George Akerlof, Nobel Laureate in Economics,
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The Federmanns live a pleasant but painfully normal life in the Munich suburbs. All that the three children really know about money is that there's never enough of it in their family. Every so often, their impish Great-Aunt Fe descends on the city. After repeated cycles of boom a...nd bust, profligacy and poverty, the grand old lady has become enormously wealthy and lives alone in a villa on the shore of Lake Geneva. But what does Great-Aunt Fe want from the Federmanns, her only surviving relatives? This time, she invites the children to tea at her luxury hotel where she spoils, flummoxes, and inspires them. Dismayed at their ignorance of the financial ways of the world, she gives them a crash course in economics that piques their curiosity, unsettles their parents, and throws open a whole new world. The young Federmanns are for once taken seriously and together they try to answer burning questions: Where does money come from? Why are millionaires and billionaires never satisfied? And why are those with the most always showered with more? In this rich volume, the renowned poet, translator, and essayist Hans Magnus Enzensberger turns his gimlet eye on the mechanisms and machinations of banks and politicians--the human greed, envy, and fear that fuels the global economy. A modern, but moral-less fable, Money, Money, Money! is shot through with Enzensberger's trademark erudition, wit, and humanist desire to cut through jargon and forearm his readers against obscurantism.
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"The All Blacks had last won the Rugby World Cup in 1987, when Prime Minister David Lange and the Labour team likewise scored a convincing victory. In 2011, New Zealand again hosted the Rugby World Cup, and once again two national teams emerged triumphant - the All Blacks, led by... captain Richie McCaw, and the National Party, led by Prime Minister John Key. This book tells the story of this 2011 election, set against the backdrop of a country caught up in rugby heroics and the aftermath of several life-changing natural disasters. It's the story of an odd campaign - of leaders' debates where the most memorable line, 'show me the money!', comes from a Hollywood movie; and of a meeting for a 'cup of tea', intended to promote the return to Parliament of one party, ACT, which ends up igniting the re-entry to Parliament of another, New Zealand First. It's the story of an election that winds up toppling two party leaders (Labour's Phil Goff and ACT's Don Brash) and ends, at last, the three-year political honeymoon of a third, John Key, even as he wins another term. Kicking the Tyres includes among its authors some of the winners of the 2011 election - New Zealand First's Winston Peters; the Greens' Metiria Turei; National's Steven Joyce; United Future's Peter Dunne; and the Greens' Mojo Mathers. What went wrong is the subject of chapters written by participants from other parties, including Labour's Grant Robertson and high-ranking candidates from the Maori Party, Mana and ACT. Kicking the Tyres views the campaign and the election from a variety of angles and perspectives. New Zealand's wittiest political commentator, Jane Clifton, writes about 'the worm' and other inanities of 2011. Jon Johansson and Colin James discuss John Key's leadership and the impact of the Pike River mine disaster and the Christchurch earthquakes on the government and the country. Other contributors examine the images and 'brands' of New Zealand's political parties and their leaders; the role of Fac
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