Good Economic Books to Purchase

**Adrian II** · 03-01-2007, 14:23

Hi Ice,

a real eye-opener is Daniel Cohen's Globalisation and Its Enemies, a brilliant analysis of what we call 'globalisation'. Cohen debunks a lot of received wisdom and highlights many underlying trends and facts. If you don't believe me, read some of the reviews as quoted by Amazon.com:

"Globalization and Its Enemies is one of the most original and incisive inquiries into the subject that I have seen. No one who reads and understands it can come away believing that the current phase of this complex and uneven process is leading to the peaceful universal market of business utopians, or accept the simple narrative of anti-capitalist movements in which underdevelopment is a consequence of the wealth of advanced countries. There is more wisdom in Cohen's short book than in dozens of weightier tomes..."
-- John Gray, The New York Review of Books

"Daniel Cohen's breathtaking tour of globalization across the centuries is supremely entertaining and provocative. He punctures cherished myths and offers cool common sense and wisdom in the midst of hysterical debates. A must read!"
--William Easterly, Professor of Economics, New York University, and author of The Elusive Quest for Growth and The White Man's Burden

If you have read John Gray, you will know that here is an original (Conservative) thinker who recognizes another one. And if you haven't, I would recommend you add his False Dawn to your list.

**Ice** · 03-01-2007, 22:38

Thanks guys. I'll make sure to look some of these up.

I've taken university intro microecon and am in the process of completing intro macro. I have a basic understanding of the market/economics, but am a very good learner when it comes to economics.

**Barbarossa1221** · 03-02-2007, 01:20

"Das Kapital" By Karl Marx, a classic explanation of economics with of course his Marxist twist it. If you have any interest in Socialist Economics or the ideas of Labour-Power then this is a book for you.
If your going to read "Wealth of Nations" and all that Laissez Faire nonsense read "Das Kapital" so you get a good balance.

**MilesGregarius** · 03-02-2007, 05:24

Originally Posted by Barbarossa1221

"Das Kapital" By Karl Marx, a classic explanation of economics with of course his Marxist twist it. If you have any interest in Socialist Economics or the ideas of Labour-Power then this is a book for you.
If your going to read "Wealth of Nations" and all that Laissez Faire nonsense read "Das Kapital" so you get a good balance.

Marx is disparaged because his prescriptions and predictions haven't borne out, but his analysis is often quite insightful. And as Barbarossa1221 says, Marx, and Marxist theorists in general, provide a good balance to the classical and neo-liberal strains of economics that currently hold sway.

If your looking for a good basic economic history, try The Growth of the International Economy, 1820-2000 by A.G. Kenwood and A.L. Lougheed. For a good history of exhange rate mechanisms Globalizing Capital by Barry Eichengreen is solid. Too many who claim to understand economics are overly fond of spouting theory, but not many seem to understand what has actually transpired.