M. Lee Pelton of The Boston Foundation reviews “What Universities Owe Democracy” by By Ronald J. Daniels. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Promotes the argument that colleges and universities are essential to the flourishing of liberal democracy, suggesting that these institutions have a responsibility to act in defense of the liberal democratic experiment.”
Maria Demertzis of Bruegel and European University Institute reviews “Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology” by Chris Miller. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Promotes the argument that the contemporary world is defined by semiconductors, detailing how this technology has come to determine the shape of international politics, the structure of the world economy, and the balance of military power.”
Journal of Economic Literature202462(3), 1261-1263
Gregory Clark of University of Southern Denmark reviews “The Wealth of a Nation: Institutional Foundations of English Capitalism” by Geoffrey M. Hodgson. The Econlit abstract of this book begins: “Discusses the English economy from 1300 to about 1820, focusing on the foundational conditions that enabled a dramatic transition from stagnation to growth that occurred in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.”
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.”
Journal of Economic Literature202462(4), 1690-1693
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.”