Good Economics for Hard Times

audio is not The best format for a book like this

Audio is not The best format for a book like this. Should be attractively (priced) bundled with whisper synced Kindle ed.
I like The distinction The authors make between those who purport to be economists and 'actual' recognized ones .... and that The public mainly hears from the former, media being as it is.

7 people found this helpful

Economic observation from the head and the heart!

This is one of brighter flames of hope chiseled from the “facts” and observations of two great economists that transcend the pseudoscience of “pure economics”. The authors do not presume that the answers to the world’s economic woes are all grounded in some sort of money and or employment formulas. Instead, they show the broader truth that money, employment, wealth,poverty and the human condition are all rolled into the bubbling soup of human and social truth that we all make up. The book is well written and timely. It has a definite optimistic bent without any single, “one size fits all” magic bullet for the woes of the world’s economic condition. I feel they’re strongest theme is the basic dignity of all people. Well done!

4 people found this helpful

more politics than economics

If you love big government, you will love this book. If you don’t trust big government, you will hate this book. If you think big government cares about you, I have some swamp land you might like. The book starts by telling us not to believe economists who work for business because they have self-interests. We should just believe the economists who work for big government or educational institutions that get their funding from big government. Of course, taxes pay these economists and the book spends considerable time talking about preventing tax evasion so we can pay economists to run our lives. The book proceeds to dismiss the foundations of economic theory (rational consumer choice, profit-maximizing firms, efficient markets) but, inexplicably, says we should believe economy theory anyway. Of course, only when it supports the authors’ progressive views. Economists who disagree with the authors are either right-wing or old-school economists who have not read recent research. The book has plenty of references to behavioral economics or psychologists to support the idea that ordinary people are either stupid or bigoted and need economists/big government to help them run their lives.  I generally support immigration. However, the author’s arguments for immigrate are purely political.  Illegal and legal immigration are the same. Global warming and man-made global warming are the same. Very high taxes and equity are the same (again, we need to pay those government economists). At one point the book says that Hillary Clinton should definitely not have called Trump supporters (1/2 the voters) deplorables because it is not helpful (of course, they are deplorables). What does that have to do with economics? The book references some economic studies but given the progressive agenda of the authors, it is hard to know whether these studies are representative or just anomalies. Watching economists testify at multiple civil trials, I can tell you with certainty that two economics can take the same data and come to opposite conclusions. Hence, it is important to hear both sides. This book fails to tell us both sides. Moreover, name calling is not an econometric method.

 

3 people found this helpful

Promise it’s not dry....To all my fellow non scholarly types.

This definitely does not read (listen) like a PHD thesis. I was afraid it might. I will be listening, and recommending this book many times over. The writing stretched my synapses and heart strings at the same time.....Let’s all be more compassionate, understanding and grateful.

2 people found this helpful

Good economics is easy for everyone to understand

Good economics applied everywhere around the world, examples from every continent. Inequality left unchecked will reverse the gains from centuries of human knowledge. Growth for growth’s sake is useless. Very inspiring!

2 people found this helpful

Accessible but Challenging

I ordered the book after reading The Economist's rave review. I emerge even more impressed than expected. Banerjeee and Duflo have a gift for writing in a conversational style about complex science. Similarly, their organizational strategy for the book enhances the accessibility of their ideas. Readers/listeners are taken by the hand and walked through the "biggest problems" at a pace that somehow feels both brisk and unhurried. Along that walk, readers can expect a devotion to rigorous thinking and reliable process, leading to blunt criticisms ideological excess (across the political spectrum). The excellent narration enriches the experience of this truly exceptional book.

2 people found this helpful

Excellent

This book is written by a husband and wife team who just won the Nobel Prize in Economics.

The book is well written and researched. In fact, it is surprisingly easy to read and understand for a lay person. The authors take a global approach to the subject. What impressed me was the fact they actually did research and analyzed data to find out what worked or not. They examined the most crucial issues the world faces such as migration, trade wars, inequality and climate change. They said “the book’s urgent task is to emphasize that there are no iron laws of economics keeping us from building a more humane world.” I was impressed with their methodical deconstruction of fake facts. I found this book most interesting and highly recommend it.

I am going to buy a hardback copy to keep as a reference book. The book is fourteen hours and forty-five minutes. James Lurie does a good job narrating the book. Lurie is an actor, voice-over artist and a well-known audiobook narrator.

5 people found this helpful

Absolutely breathtaking!!

Best book I have ever read.
Everyone , I mean everyone should read the book and the word would be a better place.
Thank you to the authors.

1 person found this helpful

Extraordinary, Ambitious and Epic

The audio book and the quality of narration makes a difficult subject very interesting and accessible.

The Authors have embarked on an ambitious task of explaining what may work in successfully dealing with the misfortune some face in transforming economies around the world. It's a book that enriches you with wisdom they've gathered from their work. if concern for our fellow man is a feeling you can identify in yourself, this book is time well spent.

Great thesis; Exhausting audiobook

The book contents were extremely thought provoking and shed light on the importance of the nuance and softer aspects that most traditional economics misses, which is incredibly important. The audiobook however sounds like the narrator is in a CNN true crime documentary and while consistent in tone, is so monotonous that it requires too much extra effort to listen to be worth recommending.