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Good Economics for Hard Times

Better Answers to Our Biggest Problems

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Good Economics for Hard Times

By: Abhijit V. Banerjee, Esther Duflo
Narrated by: James Lurie
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Two prize-winning economists show how economics, when done right, can help us solve the thorniest social and political problems of our day.

Figuring out how to deal with today's critical economic problems is perhaps the great challenge of our time. Much greater than space travel or perhaps even the next revolutionary medical breakthrough, what is at stake is the whole idea of the good life as we have known it.

Immigration and inequality, globalisation and technological disruption, slowing growth and accelerating climate change - these are sources of great anxiety across the world, from New Delhi and Dakar to Paris and Washington, DC. The resources to address these challenges are there - what we lack are ideas that will help us jump the wall of disagreement and distrust that divides us. If we succeed, history will remember our era with gratitude; if we fail, the potential losses are incalculable.

In this revolutionary audiobook, renowned MIT economists Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo take on this challenge, building on cutting-edge research in economics explained with lucidity and grace. Original, provocative, and urgent, Good Economics for Hard Times, read by James Lurie, makes a persuasive case for an intelligent interventionism and a society built on compassion and respect. It is an extraordinary achievement, one that shines a light to help us appreciate and understand our precariously balanced world.

©2019 Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo (P)2019 Penguin Audio
International Politics & Government Theory Thought-Provoking Economic disparity Economic inequality US Economy Export
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What listeners say about Good Economics for Hard Times

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Offers interesting insights into economic policy

Offers very interesting insights into the why and how of economic policy, and explains properly, and motivated by studies, the authors view on how to tackle some of the most pressing issues in society.

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One of the best books of our times

Great explanations and examples of current times , wonderful insight on a economist mind - history and progress teaches us so much

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Excellent compilation of world economics

Bought this book as my first venture into understanding global economics. It did not disappoint! The contents are well laid out and lead the reader through the challenges of the modern world and economic decisions that help overcome them. As I write COVID-19 has changed the world forever but this book has helped me understand how all countries will be able to cope and grow once the global pandemic is beaten off.

I would recommend to anyone wanting to understand more about the economic world around them!

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2 people found this helpful

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Strong

it's a harder book the most of them have they have very good points overall

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World view changed.

One must declare an irritation in my world view has been edited by reading this book. I mean, who knew? Economists seem to actually be aware that some other things like people exist. They can even show a feeling towards them. Totally amazed. Amazon recommended this book to me. I thought I’d maybe get 10 or 12 pages in before getting bored. But no. I read it all the way to the end and found very little in here I could argue with.

I guess my mythical preference will have to change. Or grow. But not very fast one assumes.

Thank you.

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A book everyone should read

I wish everyone in the world would read this book. An excellent assesment of where economic theory currently stands

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Very insightful

Brilliant book from the Nobel Prize laureates. Very insightful and easy to listen, Highly recommended.

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A must read/listen for understanding the chaos around us

This book is a must read for anyone who doesn’t understand the intricacies of economics, but still wants to make sense of the happenings around us. The authors, Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, Nobel Prize Winners Do a fantastic job of explaining how the fundamental principles of logic cannot apply and help us understand explain problems of hot potato topics such as immigration, poverty, trade and jobs.
It isn’t without anything that Bill Gates refers this book.
The audio rendering is amazing and helps when you are exercising to follow the story telling at a pace it can be understood.
Good work audible!

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3 people found this helpful

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Good book but reading could be better

Firstly the book: An interesting and often stimulating book which places emphasis on randomised controlled trials. I initially felt that the facts as set out had high credibility, given that the authors are Nobel. But I did detect some tendentious interpretations. For example the authors, noting actual decreases in longevity in the US due to the opioid epidemic, say that the same thing is occurring in the UK, albeit in slow motion. This is untrue. Another example is an uncritical parroting of Pikkety’s findings. After that, I started to wonder if the evidence that they cite is really as good as all that -e.g. in how many cases they had been designed well, had sufficient statistical power, or been reproduced.

Secondly the reading: I found the reader somewhat distracting. His voice reminded me somewhat of droopy dog’s, and I detected several errors - eg confusing 150 thousand with 150 million and occasionally reading words which do not exist in the English language.

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Worthy of the Nobel Prize

This book postulates a noble idea with a pragmatic outlook, to further encompass variables within the field of Economics to take account of a broader picture.
Economics, like almost every other subject these days, is at its core, a multi disciplinary field. If anyone wanted a purer concentration on Economics, this in itself would be sadly lacking, and this book demonstrates this.
A particular skill of this book is to take into account the social costs job loss and unemployment causes, but also to take account the inefficiencies of protected labour markets with un-fireable workers.
A strength of the authors is their willingness to acknowledge that many economic prescriptions are not self evident and they may not always sell, a particular example is the war on Coal under Obama, and Hillary Clinton's ineptly worded affirmation to continue this "we're going to put alot of people out of work."
The authors are smart enough to recognize the difficulty of seeing their prescriptions being adopted, which in itself is a strength.
A particular flaw of the book was the chapter on environmentalism and a Green New Deal was a bit too long, especially since this is not new and very familiar to all.
The narration by James Lurie just didn't seem like the appropriate match, you would expect his voice to be appropriate for a classic novel or an ancient historical text. Personal preferences speaking, but his narration just didn't fit.
Overall a decent work and one can appreciate why they became Nobel Laureates.

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7 people found this helpful