Knowledge that Transforms

David Just of Cornell University reviews “The World of Sugar: How the Sweet Stuff Transformed Our Politics, Health, and Environment over 2,000 Years” by Ulbe Bosma. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Explores the evolution of sugar from luxury to ubiquity, promoting the view that while the contemporary prevalence of sugar is an indication of progress, it also reveals a darker story of human exploitation, racism, obesity, and environmental destruction.”

Kimberly Ann Elliott of Former Senior Fellow with the Peterson Institute and the Center for Global Development reviews “How Sanctions Work: Iran and the Impact of Economic Warfare” by Narges Bajoghli, Vali Nasr, Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, and Ali Vaez. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Explores how sanctions have impacted the political calculus of those in power in Iran, providing a fuller picture of how prolonged comprehensive sanctions both impact the targeted society and reverberate outward into international politics and economics.”

Geoffrey Carliner of Boston Committee on Foreign Relations reviews “The Capitalist Manifesto: Why the Global Free Market Will Save the World” by By Johan Norberg. The EconLit abstract of this book begins: “Assesses the role of freedom and choice in capitalism, promoting the view that arguments against capitalism fail to take into account how capitalist competition has largely led to improvements in global standards of living.”

Joseph P. Ferrie of Northwestern University and NBER reviews “Economics in America: An Immigrant Economist Explores the Land of Inequality” by Angus Deaton. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Explores the positives and negatives of economics as both a science and a profession, presenting insights from the author's personal experiences as a naturalized US citizen and academic economist.”

Neil Cummins of London School of Economics reviews “As Gods Among Men: A History of the Rich in the West” by Guido Alfani. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Explores the role and significance of the Western rich and superrich in history, detailing important aspects of their behavior to pinpoint patterns representing elements of continuity or change.”

Dominika Langenmayr of KU Eichstatt-Ingolstadt, WU Vienna, and CESifo reviews “The Golden Passport: Global Mobility for Millionaires” by Kristin Surak. The EconLit abstract of this book begins: “Examines the global citizenship market, chronicling the emergence of golden passport schemes, investigating the countries, brokers, and wealthy investors that make up the citizenship by investment (CBI) market, and offering the perspectives of locals and investors in golden passport countries.”

Alberto Bisin of New York University reviews “Modeling Social Behavior: Mathematical and Agent-Based Models of Social Dynamics and Cultural Evolution” by Paul E. Smaldino. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Explores ways of thinking about and studying complex social systems using mathematical and computational models, focusing on relatively simple dynamic models to aid in the study of social organisms and what they do together.”

Satyajit Chatterjee of Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia reviews “When Nations Can't Default: A History of War Reparations and Sovereign Debt” by Simon Hinrichson. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Promotes the argument that war reparations are unlike other sovereign debt because the repayment is enforced by military and political force, exploring how debtor countries end up in suboptimal economic situations that do not occur during normal sovereign debt management.”

Kevin Hjortshoj O'Rourke of NYU Abu Dhabi reviews “Against the World: Anti-Globalism and Mass Politics between the World Wars” by Tara Zahra. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Explores the development of nationalism in the twentieth century after World War I, discussing significant events that contributed to the rise of anti-globalization policies and social movements.”

Doug Elmendorf of Harvard University reviews “The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism” by Martin Wolf. The EconLit abstract of this book begins: “Promotes the argument that economic disappointment is one of the chief explanations for the rise of left- and right-wing populism in high-income democracies, focusing on what can be done to restore the relationship between capitalism and democracy.”