Michael Thrower Book Recommendations & Book Mentions
This list consists of recommendations or mentions of books spotted in media, social media accounts, podcasts or other public websites.
Michael Thrower on X
Michael Thrower is an economist. he/him | Australian economist living in Sydney | Views expressed are my own | Posts about Econ and welfare states
Free Market: The History of an Idea
Jacob SollMichael ThrowerHistory of Economic Ideas - 12 Great Books 1) Free Market: The History of an Idea - Jacob Soll. This great work charts the history of the free market as a concept since Roman times. It highlights that a strict state-market divide implied by 'free market' is a very recent concept. https://t.co/NNcne1B1CA
Hardcover, 2022
$32.00$16.00 + Free shipping50% off your first book
House of Debt: How They (and You) Caused the Great Recession, and How We Can Prevent It from Happening Again
Atif MianMichael ThrowerGreat macroecon book even if you're not an economist, detailing how debt can destabilise economies and proposing we restructure in favour of more risk sharing. Well elaborated testing of economic hypotheses as well.
Paperback, 2015
$15.00$7.50 + Free shipping50% off your first book
The Value of Everything: Making and Taking in the Global Economy
Mariana MazzucatoMichael ThrowerA terrific history of the ways we measure production and what activities are considered valuable. As argued, the way we calculate GDP contribution can itself be a political decision. This is an important element to analysis.
Paperback, 2020
$18.99$9.49 + Free shipping50% off your first book
What's Wrong with Economics?: A Primer for the Perplexed
Robert SkidelskyMichael ThrowerThe best intro to critiques of mainstream Econ out there, overview includes: methodological individualism, uncertainty and equalibrium modelling. Great for the Econ student wondering why the heterodox are so critical
Paperback, 2021
$15.00$7.50 + Free shipping50% off your first book
Economics Rules: The Rights and Wrongs of the Dismal Science
Dani RodrikMichael ThrowerA robust defence of economic modelling, as well as its flaws. Would recommend to anyone unsure why economists are so obsessed with 'models'.
Paperback, 2016
$17.95$8.98 + Free shipping50% off your first book
The Black Swan: Second Edition: The Impact of the Highly Improbable: With a New Section: On Robustness and Fragility
Nassim Nicholas TalebMichael ThrowerTaleb is a wonderful corrective to overconfidence by economists. His argument is simple but compelling, humans are blind to the fundamental randomness which governs many of the world's events. Essential reading.
Paperback, 2010
$20.00$10.00 + Free shipping50% off your first book
Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men
Caroline Criado PerezMichael ThrowerAn instant classic, this work explains the many ways our current data exhibits a gender bias. By positioning men as the default many of our systems are not built to include women. The extent of this problem is breathtaking.
Paperback, 2021
$18.99$9.49 + Free shipping50% off your first book
Animal Spirits: How Human Psychology Drives the Economy, and Why It Matters for Global Capitalism
George A. AkerlofMichael ThrowerBehavioural Macroeconomics' doesn't get talked about a lot but this is a great intro, detailing how BE can explain key elements in macroecon cycles. Written right after the GFC, it's definitely worth reading.
Paperback, 2010
$18.95$9.48 + Free shipping50% off your first book
The Haves and the Have-Nots: A Brief and Idiosyncratic History of Global Inequality
Branko MilanovicMichael ThrowerTerrific, accessible short intro to inequality and the economic ideas around it, presented with memorable vignettes such as "who was the richest person ever?" Definitely recommend
Paperback, 2012
$21.99$10.99 + Free shipping50% off your first book
Global Inequality: A New Approach for the Age of Globalization
Branko MilanovicMichael ThrowerThere's something beautiful about a breakdown of statistics presented by a subject matter expert. This book focuses on inequality: demonstrating the contexts and complexities these stats must be understood within. Brilliant read.
Paperback, 2018
$23.00$11.50 + Free shipping50% off your first book