Home — Collections — Best Books for Economics Study
Best Books for Economics Study
The best economics books help to make an incredibly broad subject easier to understand, even if you’re not employed or studying in the field. Many of the titles will teach you far beyond want you learned in Economics 101 in high school or university, such as how economies work, if the stock market influences them, and even a deep dive into interest rates.
As an average consumer, you would be surprised at the sheer amount of useful information you’ll find in the best books on economics. People who have always been interested in investing will find a particular interest in the best books for economics, as you can learn about how housing prices are affected by spending patterns. You’ll also have the opportunity to make better investments to ensure your money is being allocated to the correct areas.
Even tasks such as knowing when to buy or sell stocks will become substantially more natural if you’re able to understand what to look for in a potential economic downturn (as we’re living right now, in the times of COVID-19).
Your finances are incredibly important, and having a keen understanding of what to do with your money to ensure you are protected is essential. It’s also important to note that the best books on economics are excellent resources for students studying for their dream careers.
Instead of pushing you to read dreadful textbooks with little to no flair, these personable pieces of writing make the world of economics more exciting and far more relatable. Within the books, you will be able to pick up on unique tips and tricks from industry leaders as well as some insight into what to expect when you begin investing.
We have found that the best economics books feature practical information that is easily applicable to anyone’s financial situation, as well as the state of the world. From international economics and how they affect domestic relations to buying stocks and bonds, there is a limitless amount of information for you to put to good use with the best books for economics.
Best Economics Books
Economics: The User’s Guide
Who Gets What ― and Why: The New Economics of Matchmaking and Market Design
Depending on your interest and goals, if you are like me and always looking for the trends in the big picture then I highly recommend being an active contrarian reader. Read what no one else is reading. Your goal is to think outside the box. To look at the world and ask “why hasn’t this been solved?” And that gives you a roadmap as to what opportunities may exist for your entrepreneurial efforts. So to that, here’s a snapshot, in no particular order, of what might help you push your intellectual boundaries:
- Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
- 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism by Ha-Joon Chang
- Postcapitalism: A Guide to Our Future by Paul Mason
- Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty
- Who Gets What--And Why: The New Economics of Matchmaking and Market Design by Alvin E. Roth
- The Political Economy of Participatory Economics by Michael Albert and Robin Hahnel
- The Zero Marginal Cost Society: The Internet of Things, the Collaborative Commons, and the Eclipse of Capitalism by Jeremy Rifkin
- Why America Misunderstands the World by Paul R. Pillar
- A Theory of Justice by John Rawls
- Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall
More Heat than Light: Economics as Social Physics, Physics as Nature’s Economics
The Supermodel and the Brillo Box: Back Stories and Peculiar Economics from the World of Contemporary Art
Prediction Machines: The Simple Economics of Artificial Intelligence
The Political Economy of Participatory Economics
Depending on your interest and goals, if you are like me and always looking for the trends in the big picture then I highly recommend being an active contrarian reader. Read what no one else is reading. Your goal is to think outside the box. To look at the world and ask “why hasn’t this been solved?” And that gives you a roadmap as to what opportunities may exist for your entrepreneurial efforts. So to that, here’s a snapshot, in no particular order, of what might help you push your intellectual boundaries:
- Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
- 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism by Ha-Joon Chang
- Postcapitalism: A Guide to Our Future by Paul Mason
- Capital in the Twenty-First Century by Thomas Piketty
- Who Gets What--And Why: The New Economics of Matchmaking and Market Design by Alvin E. Roth
- The Political Economy of Participatory Economics by Michael Albert and Robin Hahnel
- The Zero Marginal Cost Society: The Internet of Things, the Collaborative Commons, and the Eclipse of Capitalism by Jeremy Rifkin
- Why America Misunderstands the World by Paul R. Pillar
- A Theory of Justice by John Rawls
- Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall
Rockonomics: A Backstage Tour of What the Music Industry Can Teach Us about Economics and Life
Memoirs of an Unregulated Economist
A History of Economic Theory: Classic Contributions, 1720-1980
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything
The Undercover Economist: Exposing Why the Rich Are Rich, the Poor Are Poor – And Why You Can Never Buy a Decent Used Car!
Like Charlie Munger once said: “I’ve long believed that a certain system - which almost any intelligent person can learn - works way better than the systems most people use [to understand the world]. What you need is a latticework of mental models in your head. And, with that system, things gradually fit together in a way that enhances cognition. Just as multiple factors shape every system, multiple mental models from a variety of disciplines are necessary to understand that system". You can read this book to start building a "latticework of mental models in your head".
Right on the Money: Doug Casey on Economics, Investing, and the Ways of the Real World with Louis James
Why Minsky Matters: An Introduction to the Work of a Maverick Economist
The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money
The Power to Compete: An Economist and an Entrepreneur on Revitalizing Japan in the Global Economy
An Economist Walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk
Capital in the Twenty-First Century
Start-Up Nation: The Story of Israel’s Economic Miracle
Living within Limits: Ecology, Economics, and Population Taboos
How Asia Works
Studwell produces compelling answers to two of the greatest questions in development economics: How did countries like Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and China achieve sustained, high growth? And why have so few other countries managed to do so? His answers come in the form of a simple—and yet hard to execute—formula:
- (1) create conditions for small farmers to thrive,
- (2) use the proceeds from agricultural surpluses to build a manufacturing base focused on exports, and
- (3) nurture both these sectors with financial institutions closely controlled by the government.
The agriculture section of the book was particularly insightful. It provided ample food for thought for me as well as the whole Agriculture team at our foundation. And it left us thinking about whether parts of the Asian model can apply in Africa.