I Read, Therefore I Blog

The Blurb On The Back:

When a pseudonymous programmer introduced “a new electronic cash system that’s fully peer-to-peer, with no trusted third party” to a small online mailing list in 2008, very few paid attention. Ten years later, and against all odds, this upstart autonomous decentralised software offers an unstoppable and globally-accessible hard money alternative to modern central banks. The Bitcoin Standard analyses the historical context to the rise of Bitcoin, the economic properties that have allowed it tot grow quickly, and its likely economic, political, and social implication.

While Bitcoin is a new invention of the digital age, the problem it purports to solve is as old as human society itself: transferring value across time and space. Ammous takes the reader on an engaging journey through the history of technologies performing the functions of money, from primitive systems of trading limestones and seashells, to metals, coins, the gold standard, and modern government debt. Exploring what gave these technologies their monetary role, and how most lost it, provides the reader with a good idea of what makes for sound money, and sets the stage for an economic discussion of its consequence for individual and societal future-orientation, capital accumulation, trade, peace, culture and art. Compellingly, Ammous shows that it is no coincidence that the loftiest achievements of humanity have come into societies enjoying the benefits of sound monetary regimes, nor is it coincidental that monetary collapse has usually accompanied civilisational collapse.

With this background in place, the book moves on to explain the operation of Bitcoin in a function and intuitive way. Bitcoin is a decentralised, distributed piece of software that converts electricity and processing power into indisputably accurate records, thus allowing its users to utilise the Internet to perform the traditional functions of money without having to rely on, or trust, any authorities or infrastructure in the physical world. Bitcoin is thus best understood as the first successfully implemented form of digital cash and digital hard money. With an automated and perfectly predictable monetary policy, and the ability to perform final settlement of large sums across the world in a matter of minutes, Bitcoin’s real competitive edge might just be as a store of value and network for final settlement of large payments - a digital form of gold with a built-in settlement infrastructure.

Ammous’ firm grasp of the technological possibilities as well as the historical realities of monetary evolution provides for a fascinating exploration of the ramifications of voluntary free market money. As it challenges the most sacred of government monopolies. Bitcoin shifts the pendulum of sovereignty away from governments in favour of individuals, offering us the tantalising possibility of a world where money is fully extricated from politics and unrestrained by borders.

The final chapters of the book explores some of the most common questions surrounding Bitcoin: Is Bitcoin mining a waste of energy? Is Bitcoin for criminals? Who controls Bitcoin, and can they change it if they please? How can Bitcoin be killed? And what to make of all the thousands of Bitcoin knock-offs, and the many supposed applications of Bitcoin’s ‘blockchain technology’? The Bitcoin Standard is the essential resource for a clear understanding of the rise of the Internet’s decentralised, apolitical, free-market alternative to national central banks.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Saifedean Ammous is Professor of Economics at the Lebanese American University. This book has useful summaries of the history of money and the development of Bitcoin but his arguments as to how Bitcoin meets the definition of money are unconvincing - no matter how many times he repeats his points - and his Austrian school economic arguments about Bitcoin’s superiority for settlement smacks of wishful thinking over the real world practicalities.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Why is the incidence of mental illness in the UK twice that in Germany? Why are Americans three times more likely than the Dutch to develop gambling problems? Why is child well-being so much worse in New Zealand than in Japan? As this groundbreaking study demonstrates, the answer is inequality.

In The Spirit Level Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett put inequality at the centre of public debate by demonstrating that less equal societies fare worse than more equal ones across everything from education to life expectancy. The Inner Level now explains how inequality affects us individually, how it alters we think, feel and behave. It sets out the overwhelming evidence that material inequalities have powerful psychological effects: low social status is shown to be empirically linked to increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.

Wilkinson and Pickett describe how these responses to hierarchies evolved, and why the impacts of inequality on us are so severe. In doing so, they challenge the conception that humans are innately competitive and self-interested. They undermine, too, the idea that inequality is the product of ‘natural’ differences in individual ability. The Inner Level draws together many urgent problems facing societies today, but it is not just an index of our ills. It demonstrates that societies based on fundamental equalities generate much higher levels of well-being, and lays out the path towards them.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Richard Wilkinson is Professor Emeritus at Nottingham University’s Medical School and Kate Pickett is Professor of Epidemiology at York University. This book looks at how material inequalities within societies adversely affects mental and emotional health, but while it raises interesting questions, I wasn’t wholly convinced by the methodology and you need to read their previous book THE SPIRIT LEVEL to get the most from the arguments here.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

What we count matters - and, in a world where policies and decisions are underpinned by numbers, statistics, and data, if you’re not counted, you don’t count.

Alex Cobham argues that systematic gaps in economic and demographic data lead us not only to understate a wide range of damaging inequalities, but also to actively exacerbate them. He shows how, in statistics ranging from electoral registers to household surveys and census data, people from disadvantaged groups, such as indigenous populations, women and people living with disabilities, are consistently underrepresented. This further marginalises them, reducing everything from their political power to their weight in public spending decisions. Meanwhile, corporations and the ultra rich seek ever greater complexity and opacity in their financial affairs - and when their wealth goes unallied, it means they can avoid regulation and taxation.

This brilliantly researched book shows how what we do and don’t count is not a neutral or ‘technical’ question: the numbers that rule our world are skewed by raw politics. Cobham forensically lays bare how these issues strike at the heart of our democracy, entrenching inequality and injustice - and outlines what we can do about it.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Alex Cobham is an economist and chief executive of the Tax Justice Network. This deep dive into failures in collating economic and demographic data argues that official figures are skewered against society’s most disadvantaged and increase inequality, which is further exacerbated by multinational tax avoidance. However, the tone here assumes familiarity with the underlying subject matter and is quite academic, making it difficult to get into.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Not long ago, people thought that a ten-hour, six-day week was normal; now, it’s the eight-hour, five-day week. Will that soon be history too?

In this book, three leading experts argue why it should be. They map out a pragmatic pathway to a shorter working week that safeguards earnings for the lower-paid and keeps the economy flourishing. They argue that this radical vision will give workers time to be better parents and carers, allow men and women to share paid and unpaid work more equally, and help to save jobs - and create new ones - in the post-pandemic era. Not only that, but it will combat stress and illness caused by overwork and help to protect the environment.

This is essential reading for anyone who has ever felt they could live and work a lot better if all weekends are three days long.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Anna Coote is Principal Fellow, Aidan Harper a Researcher and Alfie Stirling the Director of Research and the Chief Economist at the New Economics Foundation. Published during the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a timely and thought-provoking look at the arguments in favour of the introduction of a four-day work week (including some fascinating case studies where reduced work hours have been introduced) and sets out a roadmap for achieving the same.

THE CASE FOR A FOUR DAY WEEK was released in the United Kingdom on 27th November 2020. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Our broken economic model drives inequality and disempowerment, lining the pockets of corporations while extracting wealth from local communities.

Joe Guinan and Martin O’Neill argue for an approach that uses the power of democratic participation to drive equitable development and ensure that wealth is widely shared. They show how this model - Community Wealth Building - can transform our economic system by creating a web of collaborative institutions, from worker cooperatives to community land trusts and public banks, that empower and enrich the many, not the few.

This book is essential reading for everyone interested in building more equal, inclusive, and democratic societies.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Joe Guinan is Vice President at The Democracy Collaborative and Executive Director of the Next System Project. Martin O’Neill is Senior Lecturer in Political Philosophy at York University. This disappointing book chooses to sloganise against the evils of neo-liberalism and make sweeping assertions about the potential for Community Wealth Building rather than offer any detail to back those assertions up and thus fails to make the case for it.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Why did the West become so rich? Why is inequality rising? How ‘free’ should markets be? And what does sex have to do with it?

In this passionate and skilfully argued book, leading feminist Victoria Bateman shows how we can only understand the burning economic issues of our time if we put sex and gender - ‘the sex factor’ - at the heart of the picture. Spanning the globe and drawing on thousands of years of history, Bateman tells a bold story about how the status and freedom of women are central to our prosperity. Genuine female empowerment requires us not only to recognise the liberating potential of markets and smart government policies but also to challenge the double-standard of many modern feminists when they celebrate the brain while denigrating the body.

This iconoclastic book is a devastating expose of what we have lost by ignoring ‘the sex factor’ and of how reversing this neglect can drive the smart economic policies we need today.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Victoria Bateman is a fellow and lecturer in economics at Cambridge University and campaigns against the marginalisation of women’s bodies in public life. This book, which makes some interesting points but is too dependent on sweeping assertions and broad generalisations, she argues that economics is gender biased and fails to consider both how women are important for economic growth and how real human behaviour impacts on economic activity.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, central banks created trillions of dollars of new money, and poured it into financial markets. ‘Quantitative Easing’ (QE) was supposed to prevent deflation and restore economic growth.

But the money didn’t go to ordinary people: it went to the rich, who didn’t need it. It went to big corporations and banks - the same banks whose reckless lending caused the crash. This led to a decade of stagnation, not recovery. QE failed.

In this book, Frances Coppola makes the case for a ‘people’s QE’, in which the money goes directly to ordinary people and small businesses. She argues that it is the fairest and most effective way of restoring crisis-hit economies and helping to solve the long-term challenges of ageing populations, automation and climate change.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Frances Coppola is a financial writer and blogger whose book takes the reader through the post 2008 financial crash quantitative easing (QE) programme and why it failed. Using Milton Friedman’s ‘helicopter drop’ proposal, she then sets out the arguments for QE aimed directly at the population. While I’m not convinced by the mechanics and the benefits seem overstated, it sets out some interesting arguments that I’d like to read more about.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

There is no blurb on the back and no quotes.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Jonathan Portes is Professor of Economics and Public Policy at King’s College London and in this book he looks at the economics of immigration, from its causes and impact to how the economic facts could influence policy in a post-Brexit world. Unfortunately, the Brexit section is the weakest - mainly because events have moved since it was written - but it’s a must-read for the economic facts if you’re looking to inform yourself on this subject.

WHAT DO WE KNOW AND WHAT SHOULD WE DO ABOUT IMMIGRATION was released in the United Kingdom on 1st July 2019. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

What explains the spreading backlash against the global elite? In this revelatory investigation Anand Giridharadas takes us into the inner sanctums of a new gilded age, showing how the elite follow a ‘win-win’ logic, fighting for equality and justice any way they can – except ways that threaten their position at the top.

But why should our gravest problems be solved by consultancies, technology companies and corporate-sponsored charities instead of public institutions and elected officials? Why should we rely on scraps from the winners? Trenchant and gripping, this is an indispensable guide and call to action for elites and citizens alike.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Anand Giridharadas is a former McKinsey consultant, a political analyst for MSNBC and a writer and in this topical book that bristles with anger and frustration but is very repetitive, he sets out how the global elite attempt to use neo-liberal, market-based win-win solutions to fight inequality but fail to realise that their refusal to allow discussion or solutions that threaten their own interests only serve to increase resentment.

WINNERS TAKE ALL was released in the United Kingdom on 24th January 2019. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.

The Blurb On The Back:

Modern societies set limits, on everything from how fast motorists can drive to how much waste factory owners can dump in our rivers. But incomes in our deeply unequal world have no limits. Could capping top incomes tackle rising inequality more effectively than conventional approaches?

In this engaging book, leading analyst Sam Pizzigati details how egalitarians worldwide are demonstrating that a “maximum wage” could be both economically viable and politically practical. He shows how, building on local initiatives, governments could use their tax systems to enforce fair income ratios across the board.

The ultimate goal? That ought to be, Pizzigati argues, a world without a super rich. He explains why we need to create that world – and how we could speed its creation.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Sam Pizzigati is an Associate Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington DC and in this fascinating book he examines whether a maximum wage would help to reduce inequality within society, what a maximum wage would entail and how it could be implemented. I wasn’t convinced that his ideas would gain political momentum to become law but there’s plenty of food for thought here if you’re interested in the topic.

THE CASE FOR A MAXIMUM WAGE was released in the United Kingdom on 4th May 2018. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.