Non-Fiction Pick of the Week: Economics for Everyone

Economics for Everyone: a short guide to the economics of capitalism by Jim Stanford 2008


I recently read Jim Stanford's Economics for Everyone: a short guide to the economics of capitalism. This book presents a novel approach to explaining the mysteries of the "dismal science". Instead of tracing the history of economics and delving into complex theory, Stanford starts with the working of the smallest economic unit - the family. He goes on to explain how this unit fits into an increasingly expanding system: the workplace,the banking system and finally the international economy. The explanation is enhanced by graphs and illustrations. Jim Stanford is economist for the Canadian Auto Workers Union and no friend of capitalists, so there is an inherent bias; however, after reading this book, we can probably figure out why we are in the mess that we are in today.