How Economics Explains the World - A Short History of Humanity

"If you read just one book about economics, make it Andrew Leigh's clear, insightful, and remarkable (and short) work." -Claudia Goldin, recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics and Henry Lee Professor of Economics at Harvard University

A sweeping, engrossing history of how economic forces have shaped the world-all in under 200 pages

In How Economics Explains the World, Harvard-trained economist Andrew Leigh presents a new way to understand the human story. From the dawn of agriculture to AI, here is story of how ingenuity, greed, and desire for betterment have, to an astonishing degree, determined our past, present, and future.

This small book indeed tells a big story. It is the story of capitalism - of how our market system developed. It is the story of the discipline of economics, and some of the key figures who formed it. And it is the story of how economic forces have shaped world history. Why didn't Africa colonize Europe instead of the other way around? What happened when countries erected trade and immigration barriers in the 1930s? Why did the Allies win World War II? Why did inequality in many advanced countries fall during the 1950s and 1960s? How did property rights drive China's growth surge in the 1980s? How does climate change threaten our future prosperity? You'll find answers to these questions and more in How Economics Explains the World.

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"If you read just one book about economics, make it Andrew Leigh's clear, insightful, and remarkable (and short) work. Learn why we are richer, live longer, have healthier children, are monumentally more productive and are happier than our ancestors." - Claudia Goldin, recipient of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Economics and Henry Lee Professor of Economics, Harvard University

"This 'short' book is bursting with insights about economics, illustrated by memorable stories and historical events. People who are curious about but confused by economics will learn enough from this volume to be conversant for life. Andrew Leigh is not only an engaging writer, he is charming and fun as well-something that cannot be said of all economists!" - Caroline M. Hoxby, Scott and Donya Bommer Professor of Economics, Stanford University

"Leigh takes the reader on an engaging romp through key moments in the world's economic history that created the economies we see today around the globe. It is essential reading for anyone looking to understand today's economy." - Betsey Stevenson, Professor of Economics, University of Michigan, and coauthor of Principles of Economics

"Leigh manages to give the casual reader an insight into economics, one of humanity's most powerful forces, while enticing them to run even further." - Sydney Morning Herald

"A satisfying overview of economic history." - Publishers Weekly