"Before there was money, there was debt. For more than 5,000 years, since the beginnings of the first agrarian empires, humans have used elaborate credit systems to buy and sell goods-that is, long before the invention of coins or cash. It is in this era that we also first encounter a society divided into debtors and creditors-which lives on in full force to this day. So says anthropologist David Graeber in a stunning reversal of conventional wisdom....

Shares insights into the recent economic crisis, citing such factors as expanded home ownership and risky derivative elections in the face of increasing shareholder demands, and profiles responsible parties in government, financial, and private sectors.

A sequel to the best-selling Currency Wars predicts a coming collapse of the monetary system while counseling investors on how to survive it, arguing that the dollar will be at the center of a crisis that will differentiate money from wealth. " "The next financial collapse will resemble nothing in history. Deciding upon the best course to follow will require comprehending a minefield of risks, while poised at a crossroads, pondering the death of...

The tsunami of cheap credit that rolled across the planet between 2002 and 2008 was more than a financial phenomenon: it was temptation, offering entire societies the chance to reveal aspects of their characters they could not normally afford to indulge. Icelanders wanted to stop fishing and become investment bankers. The Greeks wanted to turn their country into a piñata stuffed with cash and allow as many citizens as possible to take a whack at...

Looks at the ways that current dramatic shifts in the domestic and global economy have their roots in the 2008 economic crisis and its aftermath, exploring novel themes in the way the crisis has played out for the past decade and will influence the future.

"Manias, Panics and Crashes, is a vivid and entertaining account of the way that mismanagement of money and credit has led to financial explosions over the centuries. Covering such topics as the history and anatomy of crises, speculative manias, and the lender of last resort, this book has been hailed as 'a true classic ... both timely and timeless.' In this new, updated fifth edition, Kindleberger and Aliber expand upon the ideas presented in the...

""What I am seeking here is a better understanding of the contradictions of capital, not of capitalism. I want to know how the economic engine of capitalism works the way it does, and why it might stutter and stall and sometimes appear to be on the verge of collapse. I also want to show why this economic engine should be replaced, and with what." --from the Introduction To modern Western society, capitalism is the air we breathe, and most people rarely...

John Cassidy describes the rising influence of what he calls utopian economics--thinking that is blind to how real people act and that denies the many ways an unregulated free market can produce disastrous unintended consequences. He then looks to the leading edge of economic theory, including behavioral economics, to offer a new understanding of the economy--one that casts aside the old assumption that people and firms make decisions purely on the...

"'Aftershock' warns of a very different economic future from what most people think. The full impact of the recent bubble pop will create far more problems than we have now, especially for the dollar, and will push home prices and stocks even lower. Unlike most books that try to explain our economic troubles, 'Aftershock' goes beyond the outdated notion of "market cycles" to help readers clearly recognize and quickly respond to the rapidly evolving...

Fasten your seatbelts for a rapid-fire, sophisticated thrill-ride that propels you through one of the most infamous financial scandals in history! With a spicy blend of humor, pathos and music, the big biz machinations of Kenneth Lay, Jeffrey Skilling and Andy Fastow are laid bare as razzle-dazzle entertainment. Lucy Prebble's Enron casts a shocking new light on today's economy and how we got here. An L.A. Theatre Works full-cast performance featuring...