What's the Economy For, Anyway?

What's the Economy For, Anyway? PDF

Author: John de Graaf

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2011-11-15

Total Pages: 332

ISBN-13: 1608195147

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In this funny, readable, and thought-provoking book based on the popular film of the same name, activists John de Graaf (coauthor of the bestselling Affluenza) and David Batker tackle thirteen economic issues, challenging the reader to consider the point of our economy. Emphasizing powerful American ideals, including teamwork, pragmatism, and equality, de Graaf and Batker set forth a simple goal for any economic system: The greatest good for the greatest number over the longest run. Drawing from history and current enterprises, we see how the good life is achieved when people and markets work together with an active government to create a more perfect economy-one that works for everyone. Beginning by shattering our fetish for GDP, What's the Economy For, Anyway? offers a fresh perspective on quality of life, health, security, work-life balance, leisure, social justice, and perhaps most important, sustainability. This sparkling, message-driven book is exactly what those lost in the doldrums of partisan sniping and a sluggish economy need: a guide to what really matters, and a map to using America's resources to make the world a better place.

Book Review of What's the Economy For, Anyway? Why It's Time to Stop Chasing Growth and Start Pursuing Happiness

Book Review of What's the Economy For, Anyway? Why It's Time to Stop Chasing Growth and Start Pursuing Happiness PDF

Author: Barbara O'Neill

Publisher:

Published: 2014

Total Pages: 4

ISBN-13:

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Author: John De Graaf and David K. Batker; What's the Economy For, Anyway? provides a thought- provoking wake-up call about a myriad of U.S. economic challenges and discusses their impact on the lives of ordinary individuals. The book is highly recommended for anyone who teaches or conducts research about the gross domestic product (GDP), household spending, credit and debt, affluenza, government and employer benefits, income taxes, work-life balance, health finance, happiness, and more.

What's the Economy For, Anyway?

What's the Economy For, Anyway? PDF

Author: John de Graaf

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2011-11-08

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 1608195104

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An irreverent and provocative analysis of the economy, based on the popular film by the same name, considers 13 core issues rooted in such American ideals as teamwork, pragmatism and equality to argue that we must work in tandem with markets and an active government to make the economy work for people. 30,000 first printing. Movie tie-in.

Cogs and Monsters

Cogs and Monsters PDF

Author: Diane Coyle

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2021-10-12

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 0691231036

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How economics needs to change to keep pace with the twenty-first century and the digital economy Digital technology, big data, big tech, machine learning, and AI are revolutionizing both the tools of economics and the phenomena it seeks to measure, understand, and shape. In Cogs and Monsters, Diane Coyle explores the enormous problems—but also opportunities—facing economics today and examines what it must do to help policymakers solve the world’s crises, from pandemic recovery and inequality to slow growth and the climate emergency. Mainstream economics, Coyle says, still assumes people are “cogs”—self-interested, calculating, independent agents interacting in defined contexts. But the digital economy is much more characterized by “monsters”—untethered, snowballing, and socially influenced unknowns. What is worse, by treating people as cogs, economics is creating its own monsters, leaving itself without the tools to understand the new problems it faces. In response, Coyle asks whether economic individualism is still valid in the digital economy, whether we need to measure growth and progress in new ways, and whether economics can ever be objective, since it influences what it analyzes. Just as important, the discipline needs to correct its striking lack of diversity and inclusion if it is to be able to offer new solutions to new problems. Filled with original insights, Cogs and Monsters offers a road map for how economics can adapt to the rewiring of society, including by digital technologies, and realize its potential to play a hugely positive role in the twenty-first century.

A Humane Economy

A Humane Economy PDF

Author: Wilhelm Röpke

Publisher: Open Road Media

Published: 2014-04-08

Total Pages: 287

ISBN-13: 1497636426

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“A Humane Economy is like a seminar on integral freedom conducted by a professor of uncommon brilliance.” —Wall Street Journal “If any person in our contemporary world is entitled to a hearing it is Wilhelm Röpke.” —New York Times A Humane Economy offers one of the most accessible and compelling explanations of how economies operate ever written. The masterwork of the great twentieth-century economist Wilhelm Röpke, this book presents a sweeping, brilliant exposition of market mechanics and moral philosophy. Röpke cuts through the jargon and statistics that make most economic writing so obscure and confusing. Over and over, the great Swiss economist stresses one simple point: you cannot separate economic principles from human behavior. Röpke’s observations are as relevant today as when they were first set forth a half century ago. He clearly demonstrates how those societies that have embraced free-market principles have achieved phenomenal economic success—and how those that cling to theories of economic centralization endure stagnation and persistent poverty. A Humane Economy shows how economic processes and government policies influence our behavior and choices—to the betterment or detriment of life in those vital and highly fragile human structures we call communities. “It is the precept of ethical and humane behavior, no less than of political wisdom,” Röpke reminds us, “to adapt economic policy to man, not man to economic policy.”

Prosperity without Growth

Prosperity without Growth PDF

Author: Tim Jackson

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2016-12-08

Total Pages: 351

ISBN-13: 1317388224

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What can prosperity possibly mean in a world of environmental and social limits? The publication of Prosperity without Growth was a landmark in the sustainability debate. Tim Jackson’s piercing challenge to conventional economics openly questioned the most highly prized goal of politicians and economists alike: the continued pursuit of exponential economic growth. Its findings provoked controversy, inspired debate and led to a new wave of research building on its arguments and conclusions. This substantially revised and re-written edition updates those arguments and considerably expands upon them. Jackson demonstrates that building a ‘post-growth’ economy is a precise, definable and meaningful task. Starting from clear first principles, he sets out the dimensions of that task: the nature of enterprise; the quality of our working lives; the structure of investment; and the role of the money supply. He shows how the economy of tomorrow may be transformed in ways that protect employment, facilitate social investment, reduce inequality and deliver both ecological and financial stability. Seven years after it was first published, Prosperity without Growth is no longer a radical narrative whispered by a marginal fringe, but an essential vision of social progress in a post-crisis world. Fulfilling that vision is simply the most urgent task of our times.

The Age of Oversupply

The Age of Oversupply PDF

Author: Daniel Alpert

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2014-08-26

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 159184701X

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Governments and central banks across the developed world have tried every policy tool imaginable, yet our economies remain sluggish or worse. How did we get here, and how can we compete and prosper once more? Daniel Alpert argues that a global labor glut, excess productive capacity, and a rising ocean of cheap capital have kept the Western economies mired in underemployment and anemic growth. We failed to anticipate the impact of the torrent of labor and capital unleashed by formerly socialist economies. Many policymakers miss the connection between global oversupply and the lack of domestic investment and growth. But Alpert shows how they are intertwined and offers a bold, fresh approach to fixing our economic woes. Twitter: @DanielAlpert

Finance and the Good Society

Finance and the Good Society PDF

Author: Robert J. Shiller

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2013-04-21

Total Pages: 312

ISBN-13: 140084617X

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Nobel Prize-winning economist explains why we need to reclaim finance for the common good The reputation of the financial industry could hardly be worse than it is today in the painful aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. New York Times best-selling economist Robert Shiller is no apologist for the sins of finance—he is probably the only person to have predicted both the stock market bubble of 2000 and the real estate bubble that led up to the subprime mortgage meltdown. But in this important and timely book, Shiller argues that, rather than condemning finance, we need to reclaim it for the common good. He makes a powerful case for recognizing that finance, far from being a parasite on society, is one of the most powerful tools we have for solving our common problems and increasing the general well-being. We need more financial innovation—not less—and finance should play a larger role in helping society achieve its goals. Challenging the public and its leaders to rethink finance and its role in society, Shiller argues that finance should be defined not merely as the manipulation of money or the management of risk but as the stewardship of society's assets. He explains how people in financial careers—from CEO, investment manager, and banker to insurer, lawyer, and regulator—can and do manage, protect, and increase these assets. He describes how finance has historically contributed to the good of society through inventions such as insurance, mortgages, savings accounts, and pensions, and argues that we need to envision new ways to rechannel financial creativity to benefit society as a whole. Ultimately, Shiller shows how society can once again harness the power of finance for the greater good.

How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes

How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes PDF

Author: Peter D. Schiff

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2013-11-14

Total Pages: 415

ISBN-13: 111877020X

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Straight answers to every question you've ever had about how the economy works and how it affects your life In this Collector's Edition of their celebrated How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes, Peter Schiff, economic expert and bestselling author of Crash Proof and The Real Crash, once again teams up with his brother Andrew to spin a lively economic fable that untangles many of the fallacies preventing people from really understanding what drives an economy. The 2010 original has been described as a “Flintstones” take economics that entertainingly explains the beauty of free markets. The new edition has been greatly expanded in both quantity and quality. A new introduction and two new illustrated chapters bring the story up to date, and most importantly, the book makes the jump from black and white to full and vivid color. With the help of colorful cartoon illustrations, lively humor, and deceptively simple storytelling, the Schiff's bring the complex subjects of inflation, monetary policy, recession, and other important topics in economics down to Earth. The story starts with three guys on an island who barely survive by fishing barehanded. Then one enterprising islander invents a net, catches more fish, and changes the island’s economy fundamentally. Using this story the Schiffs apply their signature take-no-prisoners logic to expose the glaring fallacies and gaping holes permeating the global economic conversation. The Collector’s Edition: Provides straight answers about how economies work, without relying on nonsensical jargon and mind-numbing doublespeak the experts use to cover up their confusion Includes a new introduction that sets the stage for developing a deeper, more practical understanding of inflation and the abuses of the monetary system Adds two new chapters that dissect the Federal Reserve’s Quantitative easing policies and the European Debt Crisis. Colorizes the original book's hundreds of cartoon illustrations. The improved images, executed by artist Brendan Leach from the original book, add new vigor to the presentation Has a larger format that has been designed to fit most coffee tables. While the story may appear simple on the surface, as told by the Schiff brothers, it will leave you with a deep understanding of How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes.

Economic Security: Neglected Dimension of National Security ?

Economic Security: Neglected Dimension of National Security ? PDF

Author: National Defense University (U S )

Publisher: Government Printing Office

Published: 2011-12-27

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13:

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On August 24-25, 2010, the National Defense University held a conference titled “Economic Security: Neglected Dimension of National Security?” to explore the economic element of national power. This special collection of selected papers from the conference represents the view of several keynote speakers and participants in six panel discussions. It explores the complexity surrounding this subject and examines the major elements that, interacting as a system, define the economic component of national security.