Book reviews

Review of “National Competitiveness and Economic Growth, The Changing Determinants of Economic Performance in the World Economy” – Timo J Hämäläin

29 October 2016

Pub. 2003 Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, England and Northampton, Massachusetts This book is, in my opinion, is one of the most important economic books published in the last few years. The title fails to hint at the explosive contents of the book and its price unfortunately puts it out of the reach [read more]

Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World

19 October 2016

In his book, “Fault Lines: How Hidden Fractures Still Threaten the World”, Raghuram G. Rajan identified two main fault lines in the global economy. Firstly, the willingness to supply credit to those who had not benefitted from rising GDP. He says, “the political response to rising [read more]

A Review of “Why Nations Fail” by Daron Acemoglu and James A Robinson

10 February 2016

A Review of “Why Nations Fail” by Daron Acemoglu and James A Robinson – pub. Profile Books, London 2012 The authors put forward a simple thesis, that those nations with “inclusive” institutions, that permit pluralism will prosper over the long term, in contrast to autocratic or, [read more]

A review of “Capitalism a Ghost Story” by Arundhati Roy

7 February 2016

A review of “Capitalism a ghost story” by Arundhati Roy, published by Verso London 2014 This short book, it is less than a hundred pages, is an attack on the power of Indian elites, represented by rich industrialists, entrepreneurs and politicians on those less fortunate in their society. This [read more]

ZeroZeroZero – Roberto Saviano

26 January 2016

Translated by Virginia Jewiss, Allen Lane, London 2015 Book Review ZeroZeroZero is the latest book by Roberto Saviano, the author of Gomorrah, which describes the clandestine activities of the Camorra clan. Saviano’s life has been threatened and he has a permanent police escort. In 2008 Reuters [read more]

The Sixth Extinction – Elizabeth Kolbert

10 January 2016

The Sixth Extinction – Elizabeth Kolbert, Pub. Bloomsbury, London 2014 A Review Elizabeth Kolbert has in the 13 chapters of this book set out the irrefutable evidence for the role of humans in initiating a major extinction event. She shows that the impact of humans on other species is not [read more]

Book Review: The Unravelling, High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq – Emma Sky

15 December 2015

The Unravelling, High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq – Emma Sky Atlantic Books, London, 2015 This is a remarkable book, by a remarkable woman. Anyone interested in international affairs at the beginning of the 21st century should read it. Emma Sky joined the civilian administration of [read more]

Thieves of State – Sarah Chayes (review)

6 April 2015

Thieves of State – Sarah Chayes, published by W W Norton & Company, New York and London, 2015 This is an important book and its publication is timely, given recent developments. Sarah Chayes uses her own experience in Afghanistan as the thread around which she weaves her narrative. What [read more]

The Great Rebalancing – Michael Pettis

22 November 2014

Michael Pettis has gained a reputation for his forthright articles on the Chinese economy and financial markets, which he publishes in his blog http://blog.mpettis.com (some of which are reproduced on The World in Crisis, with his kind permission) and in international media like The Wall Street [read more]

I am Justice, A Journey Out of Africa – Paul Kenyon

21 August 2014

This book describes the journey of Justice Amin from the village of Effiakuma in Ghana, West Africa to Italy, via the Sahara desert. At the end of his journey he leaves from Zuwarah, in the west of Libya, in a small boat with the intention of getting to Europe; he and his companions are finally [read more]

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