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Volume 3 surveys the economic history of the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean during the twentieth century. Its chapters trace the century's major events, notably the Great Depression and the twoworld wars, as well as its long-term trends, such as changing technology, the rise of the corporate economy, and the development of labor law.The book also discusses agriculture, population, labor markets, and urban and regional structural changes. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent
A work that epoch, when addressing a topic that is little appreciated by many historians, and offer a model for addressing the same theme in other regions and other alcoholic beverages

An outstanding book about the societal impact of rum
Over the past couple of decades I have read and studied most rum books available in the market.I can honestly say that this is the first book in a very long time to contribute new knowledge to the industry.Rather than following the true-and-tried formula of including a bit of history, overview of some rum companies and their products and offering a plethora of rum cocktail recipes, this book focuses exclusively on the social and economic impact of rum, from the slave plantations to modern society.

I was impressed by the level of research performed by the author to document the stress-relieving effect of rum on slaves (their owners would often make rum available to the slaves and would encourage them to drink it in order to give them frequent escapes from reality), the ratios of rum production to rum consumptions per country in the Caribbean through the years, the social acceptance of drunkenness and its relationship to violence, etc.

Another area of the book that I was very impressed by, is the section devoted to describing the emergence of the rum economy, the threat it posed on European alcohol industries and the subsequent legislations that were put in place in an attempt to control the proliferation of rum.

All in all, this book is full of interesting facts and tables, all pearls of information for the true rum aficionado.Those seeking colorful pictures of ornate cocktails with palm trees on the background will be disappointed, but then again, there is a plethora of books to satisfy those consumers.This book is well researched, well written and I'm certain will be quoted by many future works on rum.

Luis Ayala
Author and Rum Consultant
Rum Runner Press, Inc. ... Read more

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An account of the history, structure, and operation of the First and Second Banks of the United States, this study examines how the banks performed as national and central institutions, and what happened to the economy when the charter of the Second Bank was allowed to expire in 1836. Historians have paid little recent attention to the early history of central banking in the United States, and many Americans believe that the Federal Reserve, created in 1913, was our first central bank. The economic crisis during the American Revolution actually led to the founding of a national bank, called the Bank of North America, during the period of Confederation. Although it became a private bank before the Constitution was ratified in 1788, it proved to be such a success that in 1791 Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury, was able to convince President Washington that a similar bank should be established. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Intriguing and Enlightening
A great read for anyone with an interest in the history of the Bank of the US, or for US history buffs in general.Kaplan explores not only the patterns and general themes of the Bank's development and demise, but also some of the finer points of its history that add character to this intriguing story. ... Read more

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Ideal for a one-semester course in Roman civilization or history, Roman Society offers a broad synthesis of the social, economic, and cultural history of this civilization. Topics such as social class, religion, the roles of women and slaves, and inflation are all covered, and maps, photographs, and a chronological chart complement the narrative.

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent Overview of Roman Social, Economic and Cultural History
Professor Boren takes on the difficult task of explaining the development of Roman political institutions within the framework of social and economic developments that characterized the rise of the Romans from a regional to international power.

Tracing the origins of the Roman people as possible refugees from the Trojan War who settled in and around a small backwater village on the Tiber River in Italy through the rise of their economic power and increased rivalry with their Etruscan neighbors, he explains how the Romans' penchant for both the organization and imitation of the positive traits of the peoples around gave them cultural and political advantages over their neighbors and propelled them to become a republic, to defeat first their immediate neighbor, the Etruscans, then the highly organized North African city-state, Carthage. From there, Rome went on to establish itself first as the leading power on the Italian peninsula and with the gradual conquest of lands in every direction from Italy, to become first a regional power and eventually the dominant force in Europe, North Africa and Eastern Asia.

Boren explains that it was ongoing rivalry between the ancient landed nobility, the thirty-plus patrician families called the patricians and the emerging economic power of the "new men," new entries into the nobility, of bright and ambitious men such as Cicero and Pompey that led to the eventual downfall of the old republic when the Roman people decided to support economic and political "peace" even at the surrender of their ancient freedoms long guaranteed by a Senate that had become a hollow corrupt shell of the original grand and noble institution it once was.

With the advent of the Empire, under Julius Caesar and after his assassination on March 15, 44 B.C,soon under his nephew and "chosen heir," Octavian, who became Caesar Augustus, a long period of political order came to the Rome to be known as the "Pax Romana." During this period a tremendous spurt of both political and economic growth came about.

But social and political excesses, corruption, civil wars, pressure from incoming barbarian hordes and the removal of political power from Rome to Constantinople led to the initial decline and eventual fall of Roman power, first in the West with the sacking of Rome by barbarians in 344 and eventually in the East with the fall of Constantinople.

Boren makes an excellent case for characterizing the decline of Rome not as some mere "historical accident," but rather as the direct and inevitable result of the decline of the social and political institutions that had once propelled Rome to the world stage.

An excellent book that stands on its own as a useful overview of Roman Society and its cultural and political institutions within the context of its history.
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This is a history of economic thought from Adam Smith to John Maynard Keynes--but it is a history with a difference. Firstly, it is history of economic theory, not of economic doctrines. Secondly, it includes detailed Reader's Guides to nine of the major texts of economics in the effort to encourage students to become acquainted at first hand with the writings of all the great economists. This fifth edition adds new Reader's Guides to Walras' Elements of Pure Economics and Keynes' General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money as well as major additions to the chapters on marginal productivity theory, general equilibrium theory and welfare economics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Good synopsis but poor analysis
I have always felt uneasy with this book since I was an under graduated student, 30 years ago. This is undoubtedly a quiet useful book for anyone who needs a bird's-eye view of the classics in economics. If you don't have time to read Smith's Wealth of Nations or Marshall's Principles, here you have the book you need. However, it is not here that you can look for a good analysis of the meaning and implications of the main schools of economic thought, as well as the relevance of the work of its most distinguished authors and their social and intellectual environment. That is reason why I always preferred Schumpeter's History of Economic Analysis. Today, that I am lecturing this course my dissatisfaction has increased, among other reasons because you have more and better textbooks, such as Lionel Robbins' History of Economic Thought, Mark Skoussen's Making of Modern Economics, or JürgNiehams'History of Economic Theory, which I really enjoyed reading because they try to make a portrayal of the intellectual and human stature of the most important economists of all times and their background.

Good synopsis but poor analysis
I have always felt uneasy with this book since I was an under graduated student, 30 years ago. This is undoubtedly a quiet useful book for anyone who needs a bird's-eye view of the classics in economics. If you don't have time to read Smith's Wealth of Nations or Marshall's Principles, here you have the book you need. However, it is not here that you can look for a good analysis of the meaning and implications of the main schools of economic thought, as well as the relevance of the work of its most distinguished authors and their social and intellectual environment. That is reason why I always preferred Schumpeter's History of Economic Analysis. Today, that I am lecturing this course my dissatisfaction has increased, among other reasons because you have more and better textbooks, such as Lionel Robbins' History of Economic Thought, Mark Skoussen's Making of Modern Economics, or JürgNiehams'History of Economic Theory, which I really enjoyed reading because they try to make a portrayal of the intellectual and human stature of the most important economists of all times and their background.

good for econ dudes
as an econ major i found this book highly informative and interesting. however, if you are not mathematically inclined you might find some of the models and graphs difficult to follow, especially the ones involving differential equations.
but if you are an econ dude, this book is great. lots of insight about how commonly used theories and models came about. well written for the most part, but somewhat wordy at times.

Too much lopsided for my taste.
The problem with this book is that it offers an astoundingbibliography, being therefore a mandatory list to further readings, but unfortunately it is entirely teleological, as it considers neoclessic economics of the most conservative kind to represent the acme of all economic thinking.

Still the best of its type
The standard text for anyone who wishes to analyse economic theory. Blaug takes the approach that an economic theory can be criticised on two levels.It may have a mismatch with the environment and or it may be internallyflawed as a theory. By concentrating on theory Blaug helps the readeracquire their own critical faculties for assessing economic theorieswithout getting bogged down on endless details associated with, "butthings were different then," or with defendants of marxist economictheory, "but things would be different." ... Read more

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This update to "The History of the Soviet Economy" covers the period from the Bolshevik seizure of power to the aftermath of the failed coup, which speeded up the disintegration of the Soviet Union. The final chapter encompasses Gorbachev's attempt to reform the old system and the failure of that attempt. The development of "glasnost" included the opening to Russian and foreign scholars of archives and access to information previously concealed. Newley available information has therefore been added to individual chapters where relevant. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Dated Book relying on old statistics?
Questionable statistics?: 13% of a crop destroyed is quoted, when the actual figures were probably much higher--some say 90% of a crop rotted. Who is to say?This is why nobody will ever definitively write the economic history of the USSR.At best educated guesses.But the author tries.

However, an economic history as opposed to a political history is for the USSR a distorted picture of what happened, because of the bad data problem mentioned above.Hence the three stars.

The Best-Available One-Volume Economic History of the USSR
Nove's history, already widely acclaimed (I had it as assigned reading at Cambridge), is updated in this "final" edition, completed just after the collapse of the USSR.It is extremely readable, just over 400 pages long, and gives a truly outstanding overview -- for the academic and the lay reader alike -- of the rise and fall of the Russian economy, from just before World War I until Gorbachev's resignation.Nove, one of the finest scholars in the field, makes full use of the then newly-opened Soviet archives to add to and refine what was already a brilliant work, and captures herein the first-ever scholarly assessment of the extraordinary Soviet experiment as a whole.

Alec Nove was Professor of Economics at the University of Glasgow from 1963 to 1982, subsequently becoming Emeritus Professor and Honorary Research Fellow. ... Read more

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"History of Economic Thought" is the definitive critical text for courses in the history of economic thought. The text integrates the history of economic thought into the overall historical context from which it emerged. Specifically, it shows how the appearance of new theories was virtually always the result of heated debates on practical, political, social, and moral issues. E.K. Hunt provides in-depth theoretical and empirical analysis of the history of economic thought from the enlightenment to the present day. The volume examines theories of capitalism and the social and economic conditions that gave rise to them. Hunt shows that nearly all developments in the history of economic thought were responses to particular problems and circumstances. He shows, clearly, that economics is not, and has never been, value-free. "History of Economic Thought" remains a major contribution to the literature. ... Read more

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Ken Krechmer's review
Finally, a comprehensive and detailed view of the world-wide history of railway gauge standardization is available.This book is the long awaited and significant refinement of the author's StanfordUniversity doctoral thesis, "The economics of spatial network externalities and the dynamics of railway standardization," 1991.

The original thesis was the first long term (300+ years) review of a world-wide path dependent system: the standardization of railroad gauges. By path dependent, the author means a process where early choices impact later results and outcomes may be less than optimum.Puffert's expansion into a full length book makes this extensive history of a path dependent process accessible to the public for the first time.

The British and US railway gauge standardization history is explored in the greatest detail, but almost all railroads in the world are addressed.All the invention, innovation, shortsightedness and greed that takes place as a commercially important standard develops is explored.In so many cases, the participants in the gauge selection process lacked the foresight to see the long term value of a common standard.The history of gauge selection makes clear the path dependent nature of a standardization process, where the rare foresight often appears as just conjecture.

The book is divided into four sections:The Introduction (Chapters 1&2), which includes background information helpful to understanding the story; The History of Gauge Selection (Chapters 3-8); The Economics of Gauge Selection (Chapters 9&10); and The Conclusion (Chapter 11).

This reviewer is pleased that Puffert completely debunks an Internet rumor . The standard gauge of railroads is not related to the width of two horses' asses. This unfortunate rumor seemed to cast aspersions on the value of a standardization process.The history presented makes clear that standardization processes often begin by an accident, becoming an assumption, later a convention, before emerging as a standard.But these processes are driven by people who, most often, work hard to achieve both gain for themselves and a better value for the public.

The Economics of Gauge Selection chapters offer a cellular automata model (calculated using computer simulation) of the gauge selection process and develops how this model accounts for the various behavior that occurred. The model is explained in non-mathematical terms.A web site [...] noted in the book for the mathematical model and other information was not found by this reviewer.However, the model is available in a mathematical form in an earlier paper by the author.The author describes most of the simplifications used in the model. Chapter 10 looks at some of these simplifications to see how modifying them impacts the results (not dramatically).This econometric model is certainly useful in considering the impact of different actions on how standards develop, but the model is much too simple, as the author recognizes, for direct extrapolation to current standardization issues.

Puffert's economic analysis is built on the concept that efficiency is the most significant driving force.However, the most common path dependent system seems to be an evolutionary system. This suggests an evolutionary view of a standardization process as an alternative approach.When foresight is limited, all the possible paths will not be understood.Given path dependency (the possibility of non-optimum outcomes), it may be most desirable, in an evolutionary sense, to follow multiple paths.Stated simply, when future goals are not fully understood, is it best to maximize efficiency, or minimize risk (the evolutionary approach)?Puffert's economic analysis addresses only the efficiency side of this issue.

Perhaps there are no common answers to these questions, but this book gives the reader much to ponder:
* Is there an optimum standard?
* What makes a winning standard?
* Who loses a standards war?
* Are governments or commercial organizations better at standardization?

Following this history of railroad gauge standardization and all the "mistakes" is a very powerful learning tool for anyone who is interested in any standardization process either from a participatory or an academic view point.




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A major new history of economic regimes and economic performance throughout the twentieth century. Ivan T. Berend looks at the historic development of the twentieth-century European economy, examining both its failures and its successes in responding to the challenges of this crisis-ridden and troubled but highly successful age. The book surveys the European economy's chronological development, the main factors of economic growth, and the various economic regimes that were invented and introduced in Europe during the twentieth century. Professor Berend shows how the vast disparity between the European regions that had characterized earlier periods gradually began to disappear during the course of the twentieth century as more and more countries reached a more or less similar level of economic development. This accessible book will be required reading for students in European economic history, economics, and modern European history. ... Read more

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This is the first history of finance - broadly defined to include money, banking, capital markets, public and private finance, international transfers etc. - that covers Western Europe (with an occasional glance at the western hemisphere) and half a millennium.

Customer Reviews (2)

Critical and seminal financial history
This is a book you will always find helpful as a necessary reference to come back to.It covers centuries and several nations, don't expect an almanac approach to the technical data but rather data built around short, straight to the point narratives. The book is well written, organized, and researched.This is how I prefer to read my financial history with an emphases on the content, accuracy, and consistency, rather than disguised polemic and political agenda setting, as is the current trend in financial history books (Harvard, Princeton press...im looking at you). This is not for the casual reader looking for introductory information. Nuff said.

*Note*This affordable paperback must have been released right before I bought my copy, becuase I might have purchased it, but glad I didn't. Although the price is nice YOU WILL USE THIS BOOK (I handle my hardback at least once a month over the last 4 years and its pages are still tight, its a 2nd ed from 1993) and paperback's life span is not of that as a hardback. Consider that before you buy this edition.

An essential reference guide
Kindleberger's work on financial history is designed as an undergraduate guide, but such is the wealth of detail and information that it serves as a useful reference tome long after the undergraduate work is completed. Kindleberger takes the reader step by step through the financial issues of the European economy as it developed from feudal to capitalist society. The explanations of the gold versus silver standard debate (bi-metalism) is particularly helpful and clear, given the complexity of the issue. The charting of the relative developments of the UK and Continental financial systems, and the advantages that they gave the British in the nineteenth century, are also well written.

A reader looking for a wealth of data is likely to be disappointed. Figures are provided, but there are other books that will give reams of numbers for the economic historian (several of which are cited by Kindleberger - the references of this book alone are worth buying it for).

Overall, this is widely and rightly regarded as a valuable contribution to the field of economic history. ... Read more

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Economic Thought Since Keynes provides a concise overview of changing economic thought in the latter part of the twentieth century. Part I is an historical account of economic thought. Part II is an analysis of their contribution to economic thought and a guide to the secondary literature. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A Nice History of Economic Thought Book
This book begins with the observation that most history of economic thought books usually stop at the Keynesian Revolution.This book breaks with this tradition and writes a much needed history of economic thought since Keynes.I really enjoyed this book.The greatest thing about the book is that it puts the economic debates in the context of political economic policies.We learn about Keynesian interventionism in the 1940's and 1950's, the monetarist and supply side counter-revolutions of the 1960's and 1970's, the more sophisticated models of the new classical macroeconomics at roughly the same time, and the New Keynesian Macroeconomics of the 1980's.Each new contribution is therefore a response to recent developments that have influenced in some measure the "pressure of events."The authors even devote a chapter to heterodox economics (Marxism, post-Keynesianism, and Institutionalism).The authors cover a lot of ground in only a few pages (150).The authors are even careful to note the important contributions of the Swedish school in anticipating a lot of Keynes's insights.

The perceptive reader will also note that the book reads as a sort of economic historiography text.The authors make the point in several places that one's political commitments often guide one's theorizing.Therefore, the arguments one is likely to make depends on whether he believes that the market is fundamentally orderly and self-adjusting or if market mechanisms, in the absence of government intervention, do not lead to relatively efficient outcomes.The position one adopts on this question (and its policy implications) will determine in large part the sort of theorizing one is likely to contribute to.

This is a great book that covers very broadly the main "currents" in economic thinking since Keynes.The authors believe very strongly in the separation of Keynesian economics and Keynes's ecomomics; the latter being a theory of market instability and disequilbrium while the former is one of market equilibrium with temporary disequilibrium in the labor market due to wage rigidities.With this view, one can then re-appraise the context in which the reactionary contributions to economic thought (i.e. Monetarism and other liberal "currents) were made.Friedman, for example, in drawing attention to the importance of money, was simply repeating Keynes's original argument.The entire history of economic thought since Keynes has been a gradual distancing away from equilibrium (maximizing) analysis with increasing resistance from several quarters (mainly neoclassical rationality quarters) to this phenomenon.

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Helge Kjekshus's new introduction to his book placeshis work within the context of the growing debate on ecology and economic development in East African history. North America: Ohio U Press ... Read more

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John Perkins has seen the signs of today's economic meltdown before. The subprime mortgage fiascos, the banking industry collapse, the rising tide of unemployment, the shuttering of small businesses across the landscape are all too familiar symptoms of a far greater disease. In his former life as an economic hit man, he was on the front lines both as an observer and a perpetrator of events, once confined only to the third world, that have now sent the United States—and in fact the entire planet—spiraling toward disaster.

Here, Perkins pulls back the curtain on the real cause of the current global financial meltdown. He shows how we've been hoodwinked by the CEOs who run the corporatocracy—those few corporations that control the vast amounts of capital, land, and resources around the globe—and the politicians they manipulate. These corporate fat cats, Perkins explains, have sold us all on what he calls predatory capitalism, a misguided form of geopolitics and capitalism that encourages a widespread exploitation of the many to benefit a small number of the already very wealthy. Their arrogance, gluttony, and mismanagement have brought us to this perilous edge. The solution is not a "return to normal."

But there is a way out. As Perkins makes clear, we can create a healthy economy that will encourage businesses to act responsibly, not only in the interests of their shareholders and corporate partners (and the lobbyists they have in their pockets), but in the interests of their employees, their customers, the environment, and society at large.

We can create a society that fosters a just, sustainable, and safe world for us and our children. Each one of us makes these choices every day, in ways that are clearly spelled out in this book.

"We hold the power," he says, "if only we recognize it." Hoodwinked is a powerful polemic that shows not only how we arrived at this precarious point in our history but also what we must do to stop the global tailspin.Amazon.com Review
Robert Baer Reviews Hoodwinked

Robert Baer is the author of two New York Times bestsellers: Sleeping with the Devil, about the Saudi royal family and its relationship with the United States; and See No Evil, which recounts Baer’s years as a top CIA operative. See No Evil was the basis for the acclaimed film Syriana, which earned George Clooney an Oscar for his portrayal of Baer. Baer has contributed to Vanity Fair, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. He is considered one of the world’s foremost authorities on the Middle East. Read his guest review of Hoodwinked:

I wasn’t twenty pages into Hoodwinked when I realized Perkins nailed it. What got us into the mess we’re in today, the worst recession since the Great Depression, is the same grotesque capitalism cum corruption we shoved down the throat of the Third World since the end of World War II. (Yes, the Third World’s elites were cheerfully corrupted.)

We, and the rest of the West, learned the trick of selling unneeded infrastructure, services, over-sophisticated weapons--stuff that could never benefit anyone other than the people who lined their pockets. And yes, Perkins is right, the international economists and press were handmaidens to the thievery.

It was all fairly routine until 9/11, when the real gorging started. Tell the people their roof is on fire and they’ll give you whatever you ask for. Between 2001 and 2009 the Department of Defense budget increased 74 percent, and that is not to mention the hundreds of billions of dollars in related contracts. Nigeria on the Potomac.

Perkins is quick to state he doesn’t believe in a grand conspiracy theory. Few of the people who call the shots have ever met each other. They don’t have a playbook other than a couple of fraudulent economists like Milton Friedman and the others who worship at the altar of deregulation. No, what they have in common is an obsession with the winner takes all.

Perkins's message isn’t going to be popular. We’re a country invested in a system in which five percent of the world’s population consumes 25 percent of the world’s resources. It's a system we’re trying to sell to the world, only we don’t mention that we’ll need five planets to sustain it.

Perkins isn’t the pessimist I am. He says we can save the world if we green it--and, of course, start telling the truth to each other. Otherwise we end up a banana republic like the ones we know so well how to despoil. --Robert Baer

Customer Reviews (36)

Another load of garbage from John Perkins
Oh, come on, Baer.Lot's of us left the decaying outfit with a feeling of disgust, but for you to lend credence to the fantasies of John Perkins is incredible.Read his first book of tall tales, Economic Hitman.Complete drivel.So, he worked for the NSA?That should have been enough to put Bob Baer on guard.The NSA does not employ kooks like Perkins or, rather, people like the person Perkins claims to be.One for the trash pile.

Everyone should read this.
Very interesting book with lots of information, telling what happened and naming names.Fast read.
I appreciate that he offers solutions.Highly recommend.

We are all the third-worlders now.
Perkins builds off his former tale of economic exploitation of the third world by multinational corporations; global multilateral organizations such as the IMF and World Bank; and, occasionally, the US military, to document how this "race to the bottom" has now spread to vast swathes of the US economy.

This trend - once only seen in the Third World - accelerated in the US once a a philosophy of deregulation and privatization became dominant which dismantled worker/consumer protection and jobs to the benefit of an elite few.He calls this "mutant capitalism" which is the result of unfettered capitalism absent regulatory oversight.

He interweaves numerous personal stories, biographical sketches and tales across the globe with important economic data to tell an engrossing story on the current state of global politics, economy and consciousness. It is one of the few books on political economy which you are reluctant to put down.

While much of the data is depressing, the true purpose of the book is to convey hope and a call to action. Perkins emphasizes the message that it is not democracy that has failed, but that people have failed democracy. Another primary message is how interconnected we are on this planet. He outlines a number of ways in which individuals can promote meaningful change by government and corporations through actions and decisions they make in their lives.

I believe that this book, as well as its predecessor, Confessions of an Economic Hit Man, are an homage to former Panama president, Omar Torrijos, a casualty of opposition to these rapacious policies.The author has done an admirable job on many levels.

Superficial -
Perkins's "Hoodwinked" is predominantly a rehash of his past material. He begins by reminding readers that the most common task of an economic hit man is to identify countries with resources our corporations covet, seduce, bribe, and/or extort their leaders to accept loans (usually World Bank origin, requiring use of U.S. contractors) that cannot be repaid, for the exploitation of privatized national assets that ultimately are taken over in loan default. Perkins contends that this strategy began in the Third World and has now spread to the U.S. and rest of the world. Robert McNamara, George Shultz, Dick Cheney etc. are reputed to have been early leaders in these conspiratorial efforts. Perkins role in this was supposedly facilitated by his employment as head economist at Charles Main, strategic consulting firm that I never heard of - subsequently taken over. His qualifications - graduation from the Boston University School of Management, two years' of Peace Corps experience in Ecuador, approval by the NSA, and hiring by Norwegian attorney Einar Greve. Perkins was then trained/seduced by a beautiful older woman. Seems a bit far-fetched to me.

Perkins then shifts focus to Iceland, booming in 2007 supposedly because of its hydro and geothermal power resources. Alcoa arranged to build 'a water-too-aluminum' facility that included a dam and power-plant generating over 600 MW, compared to the rest of Iceland using 300 MW. This required a large loan, collateralized by the sale of power. Then Iceland's banks, playing amongst the global giants, collapsed in 2008. Perkins alleges that Iceland's utility users lost money every time Alcoa used electricity but offers no explanation or data to support this.

Eventually Perkins moves to 'explaining' the current economic mess - for the 1,000th time. (It was interesting to read, however, that $3.2 billion was spent in the 2007 elections, and lobbyists go through another $2.5 billion/year doing their thing. Also, that the price of corn in Mexico fell 70% from 1994 to 2002, thanks to NAFTA allowing subsidized American farmers to drive native growers out of business.)

Perkins earlier books were much more compelling - I'm now wondering if I should revisit them with a more critical eye.

A Must Read Frightening Book
When Hubby Dub and I are out of the country, we generally listen to the BBC at night as we fall asleep. Stateside, we sometimes tune into those news readers across the pond, but we also like to listen to Coast to Coast AM. You know, that show that talks about aliens, shadow people and various conspiracy theories. But they also talk about the real deal, things you don't find in the newspapers, things like government goings on that they don't want you to know about.

A while back they had John Perkins on and what he had to say was frightening, frightening, because this was one of those times when the conspiracy wasn't a theory. John Perkins kept me awake, kept me glued to the radio. Dub was wide awake as well. To think that there are corporate execs who would deliberately destroy third world countries, run them into bankruptcy, drive their children into starvation, all for a profit.

And now that they've destroyed the third world, they've moved onto the developed one, ruining the economy of Iceland, driving the country to insolvency. And now they have their sights set on us. And we, the taxpayers, bail them out, give them billions, so they can make more billions and keep right on sticking it to us.

I had to get HOODWINKED, had to read it. The introduction will raise the hair on the back of your neck. The first chapter will send chills up your spine. Mr. Perkins writes like a novelist, draws you into his story, his life, with a deft use of words. He has spent time on the wrong side of what is right, he has been one of the bad people, an economic hit man, a destroyer, but now he has turned to the side of the angels, our side. He paints a sad and terrifying picture of corporate greed, lobbyists with more power the anyone can imagine and politicians who can't see past the next election.

Who's looking out for the people, for us, for the starving kids in the third world? We better start doing that, because if we don't our kids will be starving next and then it'll be too late. You can help, we all can. Mr. Perkins' book will help show you how. ... Read more

Product Description
Blending past and present, this brief history of economics is the perfect book for introducing students to the field.

A Brief History of Economics illustrates how the ideas of the great economists not only influenced societies but were themselves shaped by their cultural milieu. Understanding the economists' visions -- lucidly and vividly unveiled by Canterbery -- allows readers to place economics within a broader community of ideas. Magically, the author links Adam Smith to Isaac Newton's idea of an orderly universe, F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby to Thorstein Veblen, John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath to the Great Depression, and Tom Wolfe's The Bonfire of the Vanities to Reaganomics. The second edition is right up-to-date with a lively discussion of the economic crises of 2007-2010.

Often humorous, Canterbery's easy style will make the student's first foray into economics lively and relevant. Readers will dismiss dismal from the science. ... Read more