Debunking Economics (v. 2)

Debunking Economics 2 exposes what many non-economists may have suspected and a minority of economists have long known: that economic theory is not only unpalatable, but also plain wrong. When the original Debunking was published back in 2001, the market economy seemed invincible, and conventional 'neoclassical' economic theory basked in the limelight. Steve Keen argued that economists deserved none of the credit for the economy's performance, and 'The false confidence it has engendered in the stability of the market economy has encouraged policy-makers to dismantle some of the institutions which initially evolved to try to keep its instability within limits'. That instability exploded with the devastating financial crisis of 2007, and now haunts the global economy with the prospect of another Depression. In this expanded and updated new edition, Keen builds on his scathing critique of conventional economic theory whilst explaining what mainstream economists cannot: why the crisis occurred, why it is proving to be intractable, and what needs to be done to end it. Essential for anyone who has ever doubted the advice or reasoning of economists, Debunking Economics 2 provides a signpost to a better future.

ISBN 1848139926   Pages 543 ISBN13 9781848139923 (What's this?)   Weight (grammes) 739 Publisher Zed Books Ltd   Published in London Imprint Zed Books Ltd   Previous ISBN 9781856499927 Format Paperback   Height (mm) 216 Publication date 22 Sep 2011   Width (mm) 138 DEWEY 330.1   Spine width (mm) 27 DEWEY edition DC22   Academic level Postgraduate

Preface to the first edition 1. Predicting the 'unpredictable2 2. No more Mr. Nice guy Part 1: Foundations The logical flaws in the key concepts of conventional economics 3. The calculations of hedonism 4. Size does matter 5. The price of everything 6. To each according to his contribution Part 2: Complexities Issues that should form part of an education in economics, but which are omitted from standard courses 7. The holy war over capital 8. There is madness in their method 9. Let's do the Time Warp again 10. Why they didn't see it coming 11. The price is not right 12. Misunderstanding the Great Depression and the Great Recession Part 3: Alternatives Different ways to think about economics 13. Why I did see 'It' coming 14. A Monetary Model of Capitalism 15. Why stock markets crash 16. Don't shoot me, I'm only the piano 17. Nothing to lose but their minds 18. There are alternatives References

Praise for the First Edition: 'Debunking Economics may not delight economic conservatives, but it is certainly necessary. Our hope must be that it will be read by enough people to prompt reform of our economic thinking and save our endangered societies' - James Cumes, author of 'How to Become a Millionaire without really working', and other books 'Particularly useful to those, like myself, who are interested in economics but not formally trained in it. Debunking Economics reveals that neoclassical economic doctrines are faulty... because the fundamental assumptions from which such doctrines have been derived are less than self-evident' - Henry C.K. Liu, Chairman, Liu Investment Group 'If you are interested in how the economy really works (and want to challenge an economist) then read this book' - James Dick, Professional Members Division, The Economic Society of Australia 'Keen's serious but accessible look at the shaky logical and mathematical foundations of neoclassical economics will be of great interest to students and open-minded economists alike. And his insightful survey of alternative schools of thought lends substance to his call for a new economics.' - Don Goldstein, Associate Professor of Economics, Allegheny College 'A wide-ranging yet accessible critique of the staples of neoclassical pedagogy' - Alan G. Isaac, Associate Professor of Economics, American University 'This text carefully follows the form of argument familiar to all economics undergraduates, through to conclusions from which under-graduates are more usually protected. Avoiding polemic or hyperbole, the case that he presents is all the more damning for its clarity and systematic approach' - John M. Legge, Associate Professor, LaTrobe University 'Debunking Economics... will transform the way economics is taught and thought' - Jan Otto Andersson, Professor of Economics, A...bo Akademi University, Finland 'Professional economists include their own best critics. Steve Keen is one of the very best... translating the algebra into plain language, he deploys a devastating theoretical attack on neoclassical theory' - Hugh Stretton, Fellow of the Academies of the Humanities and Social Sciences, and author of 'Economics: A New Introduction' 'Refreshingly provocative' - Geoffrey Fishburn, Department of Economics, University of New South Wales Second Edition 'Economics still awaits its Darwin. Keynes came close, but not close enough. Keen comes closer still. Economics, like biology used to be, remains mostly faith-based. No book poses a bigger threat to that faith than the second and expanded edition of Debunking Economics.' - Edward Fullbrook 'It is notorious that only the most mediocre students have the stomach to stick with graduate economics degree. The assumptions become so narrow-minded and tunnel-visioned that reality-based minds drop out. But economics obviously is important too much so to be left to economists. Fortunately, Steve Keen is an empirical mathematician who views the economy logically and systematically. Having made a pioneering explanatory statistical model, he looked through the literature to review the history of economic thought and saw how little today's assumptions had to contribute to Reality Economics. So his book does two things. First, it explains some of the most wrong-headed logical paths that led today's 'free market' economics down its detour to rationalize the status quo. Second, it explains how to view the economy from a more realistic, cause-and-effect light.' - Michael Hudson, Distinguished Research Professor of Economics, University of Missouri 'You would be hard-pressed to find an individual whose pre-crisis analyses of both the world financial system and the economics profession were more dead on than Steve Keen's. The original edition of this book not only demonstrated the irrelevance of modern theory, but it predicted the major economic and social crisis that occurred. This second edition updat

 Be the first to write a customer review