Knowledge that Transforms

Arthur Robson of Simon Fraser University reviews “Individuality and Entanglement: The Moral and Material Bases of Social Life” by Herbert Gintis. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Analyzes human social life as a game with rules, with people as players in this game and politics as the arena in which these rules are affirmed and changed.”

Ed Leamer of University of California, Los Angeles reviews “The Unequal Effects of Globalization” by Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Assesses the recent evolution of global trade, highlighting its unequal effects between and within countries.”

Ilyana Kuziemko of Princeton University and Suresh Naidu of Columbia University review “The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: America and the World in the Free Market Era” by Gary Gerstle. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Examines the history of the political order that took shape under Ronald Reagan and achieved dominance under Bill Clinton in the 1990s and early 2000s, highlighting the sharp distinction of this political order from those that preceded it.”

Sascha O. Becker of Monash University and University of Warwick reviews “The Divine Economy: How Religions Compete for Wealth, Power, and People” by Paul Seabright. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Presents a platform model of religious movements, discussing how the competition for members and resources between such movements shapes what is possible for them and their political backers.”

Charles Betsey of Howard University reviews “Hope and Healing: Black Colleges and the Future of American Democracy” by John Silvanus Wilson Jr. The EconLit abstract of this book begins: “Discusses historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the context of the larger history of American higher education, highlighting what HBCUs have done and what non-HBCUs have failed to do to actualize democracy.”

Eric A. Posner of University of Chicago reviews “The Problem of Twelve: When a Few Financial Institutions Control Everything” by John Coates. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Explores issues that arise when a small number of actors acquire the means to exert outsized influence over the politics and economy of a nation, focusing in particular on the two late-twentieth-century institutions of index funds and private equity funds.”

Jonathan Skinner of Dartmouth University reviews “Why Not Better and Cheaper? Healthcare and Innovation” by James B. Rebitzer and Robert S. Rebitzer. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Considers why the US health-care system is becoming neither better nor more affordable over time, contending that the health sector generates the wrong kinds of innovation by making it easy to profit from low-value innovations and difficult to do the same from innovations that reduce care costs.”

Betsey Stevenson of University of Michigan reviews “Career and Family: Women’s Century-Long Journey toward Equity” by Claudia Golden. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Explores the reasons for the persisting gender earnings gap, focusing on women's role in the American economy and how it has transformed over the last century.”

Carola Binder of Haverford College reviews “The Monetarists: The Making of the Chicago Monetary Tradition, 1927–1960” by George S. Tavlas. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Considers the emergence and development of the Chicago monetary tradition into what became known as monetarism, describing it as it was reflected in the works of a small group of University of Chicago economists who preserved the importance of the quantity theory of money and defended the free-market system.”