339. Books on macroeconomics & related topics

Further Reading

Kevin Phillips The Politics of Rich and Poor: Wealth and the American Electorate in the Reagan Aftermath, 1990.

Kevin Phillips says the wealth gap became much more pronounced in the 1980s largely due to Republican policies that exacerbated the imbalances. The gap has only gotten wider in the intervening years.

Matt Ridley The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves, 2010.

English businessman and science writer Matt Ridley says life is improving overall for humanity, mainly because we’ve become more specialized over the millennia. We have collectively become a large brain, giving us ever-increasing capacities for innovation. For the naysayers out there, he provides proof that things are better than ever, and he is confident we can successfully meet any challenges that come our way, including climate change.

Benn Steil The Battle of Bretton Woods: John Maynard Keynes, Harry Dexter White, and the Making of a New World Order, 2013.

In 1944, representatives of forty-four nations met in Bretton Woods during World War II to determine how to defeat the Axis powers. But American economist Benn Steil argues that the summit was an American plot to eliminate Great Britain as an economic and political rival. He examines the role of senior U.S. Treasury official Harry Dexter White, a secret admirer of Soviet economic planning, without whose influence the dollar may not have gained its central importance.

For more information on the Further Reading series, see Further Reading: Start Here.