“This is a book you should read, for understanding what went wrong in the past is our only hope of doing better in the future?” - Paul Krugman, Nobel prize-winner Why did governments adopt austerity policies, and why were they so harmful? Why did the media largely ignore the experts who opposed these policies, and allow politicians to get away with lies? And why did voters choose Brexit when the economic consensus was that it would harm living standards? Simon Wren-Lewis, winner of the SPERI/New Statesman Prize for Political Economy, is one of Britain's most respected economists. Since 2012, his widely-read Mainly Macro blog has been an influential resource for policymakers, academics and social commentators around the world. This book presents some of his most important work, telling the story of how the damaging political and economic events of recent years became inevitable.
Review
"We tend to agonise over the new forms of darkness unleashed by the internet. But we must also remember the points of intense light it has also allowed into our intellectual lives. Of those lanterns of enlightenment, few shine brighter than Simon Wren-Lewis' blog". Ben Chu, Economics Editor of The Independent
"Since the financial crisis, Simon Wren-Lewis' pioneering blog has been essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the economics, and crucially the politics, of austerity and Brexit." Jonathan Portes, Kings College London
"The book is particularly useful in understanding the role of the media. There are good observations on false balance …truth, and newspaper bias. It’s the kind of thing I’d have liked to have discussed during my journalism degree, and I hope it is finding its way onto reading lists for economics and media students." Make Wealth History
Review
"Simon Wren-Lewis is the rare economist of both the science and the craft of his field. In this exemplary collection of his blog-writings, Wren-Lewis shows how economic theory, evidence, and sound judgement can be combined to produce good economic policy. Unfortunately, austerity policies, which Wren-Lewis opposed from the beginning, shared none of those features. This is an admirable and accessible guide to where macroeconomic policy in Britain (and elsewhere) has gone wrong in the last decade." Dani Rodrik, Harvard University
About the Author
Simon Wren-Lewis is Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Oxford and author of the widely read Mainly Macro blog. In 2015 he was invited to join the Labour Party’s Economic Advisory Committee, and in 2016 he won the SPERI/New Statesman Prize for Political Economy.
Description:
“This is a book you should read, for understanding what went wrong in the past is our only hope of doing better in the future?” - Paul Krugman, Nobel prize-winner Why did governments adopt austerity policies, and why were they so harmful?
Why did the media largely ignore the experts who opposed these policies, and allow politicians to get away with lies?
And why did voters choose Brexit when the economic consensus was that it would harm living standards?
Simon Wren-Lewis, winner of the SPERI/New Statesman Prize for Political Economy, is one of Britain's most respected economists. Since 2012, his widely-read Mainly Macro blog has been an influential resource for policymakers, academics and social commentators around the world. This book presents some of his most important work, telling the story of how the damaging political and economic events of recent years became inevitable.
Review
"We tend to agonise over the new forms of darkness unleashed by the internet. But we must also remember the points of intense light it has also allowed into our intellectual lives. Of those lanterns of enlightenment, few shine brighter than Simon Wren-Lewis' blog". Ben Chu, Economics Editor of The Independent
"Since the financial crisis, Simon Wren-Lewis' pioneering blog has been essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the economics, and crucially the politics, of austerity and Brexit." Jonathan Portes, Kings College London
"The book is particularly useful in understanding the role of the media. There are good observations on false balance …truth, and newspaper bias. It’s the kind of thing I’d have liked to have discussed during my journalism degree, and I hope it is finding its way onto reading lists for economics and media students." Make Wealth History
Review
"Simon Wren-Lewis is the rare economist of both the science and the craft of his field. In this exemplary collection of his blog-writings, Wren-Lewis shows how economic theory, evidence, and sound judgement can be combined to produce good economic policy. Unfortunately, austerity policies, which Wren-Lewis opposed from the beginning, shared none of those features. This is an admirable and accessible guide to where macroeconomic policy in Britain (and elsewhere) has gone wrong in the last decade." Dani Rodrik, Harvard University
About the Author
Simon Wren-Lewis is Emeritus Professor of Economics at the University of Oxford and author of the widely read Mainly Macro blog. In 2015 he was invited to join the Labour Party’s Economic Advisory Committee, and in 2016 he won the SPERI/New Statesman Prize for Political Economy.