Economics for Everyone: A Short Guide to the Economics of Capitalism - Softcover

Stanford, Jim

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0745327508 ISBN 13: 9780745327501

Publisher: Pluto Press, 2008

Synopsis

--A highly readable guide to how the economy really works-- Economics is too important to be left to the economists. This brilliantly concise and readable book provides non-specialist readers with all the information they need to understand how capitalism works (and how it doesn't). Jim Stanford's book is an antidote to the abstract and ideological way that economics is normally taught and reported. Key concepts such as finance, competition and wage labor are explored, and their importance to everyday life is revealed. Stanford answers questions such as "Do workers need capitalists?", "Why does capitalism harm the environment?", and "What really happens on the stock market?" He offers both a realistic assessment of capitalism's strengths, and a robust critique of its many failures. This book will appeal to those working for a fairer world, and students of social sciences who need to engage with economics. The book is illustrated with humorous and educational cartoons by Tony Biddle, and is supported with a comprehensive set of web-based course materials for popular economics courses.

About this title

About the Author:

Jim Stanford is economist for the Canadian Auto Workers union, and economics columnist for the Globe and Mail newspaper.

Review:

Stanford is that rare breed: the teacher who changed your life. He has written a book - both pragmatic and idealistic - with the power to change the world. -- Naomi Klein, author of This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate and No Logo. Jim Stanford has a unique ability to explain economics in ways that average working people can totally relate to. -- Bob White, Former President, Canadian Labour Congress, and Former President, OECD Trade Union Advisory Committee. I have been waiting all my adult life for this book. Jim Stanford, brilliant economist himself, wrote a terrific book that demystifies economics and makes the subject accessible to us all. Now there's going to be trouble! -- Maude Barlow, Voluntary Chairperson, Council of Canadians, and international water rights campaigner. Is economics the 'dismal science'? Not in Jim Stanford's capable hands. If we are to have better economic policies in the future, 'everyone' needs a guide, and this one is short but sweet. -- Lars Osberg, Chair of Economics, Dalhousie University, and Former President, Canadian Economics Association. Economics For Everyone is a marvelous tool for activists. It is simple but by no means simplistic, with clear explanations and clever cartoons -- Cy Gonick, Professor of Economics Emeritus, University of Manitoba, and publisher, Canadian Dimension. This book is a timely and important contribution to the intellectual fightback against economic fundamentalism. Written in Jim's incisive and practical style, this book is a 'must have' for anyone engaged in the fight for a good society. -- Doug Cameron, Australian Senator, and Former National Secretary, Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union. Jim Stanford has provided a highly readable yet rigorous guide to the economics of capitalism. It is to be highly commended for its comprehensive yet critical coverage - from work to globalisation, the environment to high finance. -- Malcolm Sawyer, Professor of Economics, Leeds University, U.K. Jim Stanford has written a wonderfully accessible and useful book for union activists or anyone else who wants to learn about how the economy works in order to change it. -- Thea Lee, Economist, AFL-CIO, Washington DC. This book fell on my doorstep alongside newspapers reporting (another) financial crisis. It helps us understand what the newspapers never explain: these crises are a product of the inequalities and incapacity for social foresight that is capitalism's everyday economics. This understanding helps turn these crises into opportunities for change. -- Hilary Wainwright, Editor, Red Pepper

About this edition

• Publisher: Pluto Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0745327508
• ISBN 13: 9780745327501
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 360