Category Archives: Economics

Climate Capitalism

Akshat Rathi makes the optimistic case that a reformed capitalism — shaped by government policy and serving the needs of society and the planet — is our best hope of tackling climate change. In Climate Capitalism he profiles key leaders who are helping to make progress happen. Continue reading

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Five Times Faster

We’re not on track to meet the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels by 2050. While there has been some progress, it hasn’t been nearly fast enough. In the last two decades, the amount … Continue reading

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The Spirit of Green

In The Spirit of Green: The Economics of Collisions and Contagions in a Crowded World, Yale economics professor William D. Nordhaus examines a wide range of economic, social and political issues from a Green perspective. Nordhaus won the 2018 Nobel Prize … Continue reading

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Why Nations Fail

Why are some countries rich and others poor? Why, despite the passage of nearly two hundred years since the Industrial Revolution, are some countries still struggling to provide basic necessities while others indulge in conspicuous consumption? Why Nations Fail: The … Continue reading

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Good Economics for Hard Times

Good Economics for Hard Times By Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo Hachette Book Group, New York, 2019 Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo won the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics for their research into alleviating global poverty.  In Good Economics … Continue reading

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The Storm Before the Calm

I can’t decide whether George Friedman is a genius or a crackpot. Friedman has made a career of geopolitical forecasting.  He’s founded a couple of consulting companies that specialize in the field.  He’s the author of several bestselling books including … Continue reading

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Doughnut Economics

How do we shift our economy from a focus on never-ending GDP growth to living within the “Doughnut?” Continue reading

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Book Review: The Ideas That Conquered the World

The Ideas That Conquered the World By Michael Mandelbaum PublicAffairs, New York, NY, 2002 The Ideas That Conquered the World was published with some fanfare in 2002, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. I can’t remember how … Continue reading

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