It's the Economy, Stupid: Best Books
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It's been two presidential administrations since Clinton uttered the campaign phrase that suggested he was the right candidate for a strong economy. Now that we are in the midst of a great recession, there is renewed attention of economic forces. In this post, we features some of the best books discussing the state of the economy.
Lords of Finance: The Bankers who Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed
Selected as on the the New York Times as a Best Book of the Year 2009, "Lords of Finance" is the tale of four bankers (Benjamin Strong Jr., New York Federal Reserve; Montagu Norman, head of the Bank of England; Emile Moreau, governor of the Banc de France; and Hjalmer Schacht, the president of Germany's Reichsbank) whose policy influences caused the economic meltdown in the later part of the 1920s, which led to the Great Depression. While many lessons were learned from the disastrous decisions of these three men, Ahamed described how we still have much to learn in order to avoid moving from this Great recession to Great Depression #2.
Shadow Elite: How the World's New Power Brokers Undermine Democracy, Government, and the Free Market by Janine Wedel
In this thrilling new book about the power and public policy, Wedel introduces us to a few old foes and several new players who are shaping foreign policy, privatizing government and screwing over the working class.
The Moral Underground: How Ordinary Americans Subvert an Unfair Economy by Lisa Dodson
Dodson details how regular American are subverting the unjust economy through small acts kindness, whether that be that letting low wage worker have the left-over deli food without threat of being fired, or giving latch-key kids a bit of afterschool tutoring. Full of anecdotes that paint a macro picture of the effect of wealth disparity on the nation's poor, whether that is chance school success for children, happiness, or real opportunities for upward mobility.
