Last Updated on by Sahil
Reading and studying Economics not only enables you to understand and manage your finances better but also makes you more aware of the world around you and the various processes that take place, be it the government or the market. The subject also helps you understand and analyze data so that you understand the news better and grasp the different public policies that are put forth.
The books mentioned here do not require any sort of degree in the subject and are suitable for everyone, be it a beginner or an expert in the field. If you’d like to explore more works of non-fiction, why not check out this selection of the best non-fiction audiobooks? Let’s now look at some of the best economics audiobooks:
10 Best Economics Audiobooks
1. The Wealth and Poverty of Nations: Why Some Are So Rich and Some So Poor by David S. Landes
Why do some nations gain economic prosperity while others lag? This book is an exploration of that question. It shows how cultural factors mixed with historical conditions result in the wealth and poverty of nations. A book that is as historic as it is economic, this makes for some insightful reading.
An exhaustive piece, with a tinge of humor, this made some controversies since the time of its publication, but is nevertheless an essential piece, if only for the sake of discussion. Narrated by Walter Dixon, the audiobook ensures you never feel daunted by the size or density of the text.
2. Boom and Bust: A Global History of Financial Bubbles by John D. Turner, William Quinn
Why is it that the stock markets (alongside other economic sectors) see booms at one point in time and busts at another? And why is it so that these booms and busts are getting more and more frequent with passing time? To answer this question, Turner and Quinn take us on a journey through time, beginning from Paris and London in the early 18th century to Shanghai in the early 21st.
They go through the history of financial bubbles and explain why they happen in the first place and their enormous impacts in the real world. They show how bubbles are a result of the reactions of new changes on the political or technological front. Concise and erudite, the book provides a comprehensive analysis of financial bubbles.
3. Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism by Anne Case, Angus Deaton
Focusing their research on the working class, Anne Case and Angus Deaton show how and why life expectancy has reduced in the previous few years. Deaths due to suicides, alcoholism, and substance abuse have seen tremendous growth in the past few years, and they’re only growing with time. The book looks at the reason behind these deaths and how they’re driven by certain forces.
It shows how the same capitalism that plucked out large portions of the population from poverty is the reason that’s destroying the lives of working classes across the country. Not just stopping at the diagnosis, the book presents solutions to follow while moving ahead. Wish to learn the secrets of finance from a master? Here’s a curated selection of the best Dave Ramsey audiobooks to help you understand and manage your finances better.
4. Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life by Eric Klinenberg
We live in divided times. From religious to racial to cultural lines, polarization is constantly growing with time. But how to bring people together? Klineberg shows the direction in which we should move ahead by highlighting the value of social infrastructure. He argues that the future of democratic countries rests on social places as much as social values.
And this is why the importance of these spaces should be stressed upon. Using examples of social infrastructure from around the world, he shows how these places can bring communities together. This is why it can be the driving factor in bringing societies together.
5. Extreme Economies: Survival, Failure, Future – Lessons from the World’s Limits by Richard Davies
There’s no way better to understand the ability of human beings to adapt than to study those living in the harshest conditions. And Richard Davies does the same. He studies those living in harsh conditions from war zones to failing societies. The book tells the personal stories of these people living in extreme conditions and the financial market they create around themselves.
By looking at these places that the usual data scientists ignore, Richard gets to explore a purer perspective of economics. And through this, he tries to answer some of the biggest economic questions of the modern world and predict what the future might seem like.
6. The Wisdom of Finance: Discovering Humanity in the World of Risk and Return by Mihir A. Desai
The world of economics is often conceived as one without any morals or principles, replete with people greedy and vulgar. But is the world of finance just that? Through this book, Desai explores the different ideas of finance and using his rich knowledge in philosophy, literature, music, cinema, and more shows how this world can be tapped easily by outsiders and how the insiders can grasp the humanity that is at the core of this sector.
Through financial principles, Mihir also answers many important questions of human life and society. Drawing parallels, using anecdotes and data points, he sets about showing the wisdom that’s ever-present in the financial world.
7. Adaptive Markets: Financial Evolution at the Speed of Thought by Andrew W. Lo
Bringing an evolutionary perspective on how the market functions and how investors behave, this book answers several crucial questions I’m economics. The modern financial theory assumes the investors to be efficient and rational, whereas the behavioral economists believe the investors to be anything but. So what’s right?
With his Adaptive Market Hypothesis, Andrew argues that there’s a co-existence of rationality and irrationality in the market. Using numerous scientific fields, he explains how financial evolution takes place as quickly as a thought occurs. Explaining the history and showing what are the implications of it all, the book is as enthralling as it is exhaustive.
8. Straight Talk on Trade: Ideas for a Sane World Economy by Dani Rodrik
Exploring how economic globalization has been taken a bit too far, resulting in unequal economic growth in different countries, Dani Rodrik explains why excessive globalization is something pushed for by elites. Parameters such as equity and economic prosperity should be the end goal for each country rather than globalization, and he charts out how the latter has made achieving the former very difficult.
Using the experiences of several countries, he shows how we should go on to bring an equilibrium between national and global economics and governance without securing borders. Want some more audiobooks to listen to? Here’s a list of great audiobooks to kill time with, when you’re stuck at home or somewhere else.
9. Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by Esther Duflo, Abhijeet V. Banerjee
Billions of dollars are employed to eradicate poverty based on theories and assumptions that are untested generalizations with hardly any practical relevance in real life. Duflo and Banerjee, using randomized control trials along with years of research, explain the behavior and needs of the poor in detail.
Using these data points, the work done to eliminate poverty can be more efficient and effective. Through this book, the authors show how the poor live and how a world without poverty can be imagined. Insightful and revolutionary, the book works for every kind of reader, beginner, or expert.
10. Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
Applying statistics to every sphere of life, Levitt and Dubner show how the world around us operates, and how economics can redefine the way we view the world around us. Enchanting and humorous, the book depicts how economics is at the bottom of everything: from our behavior to that of the world around us.
The aim of the book lies in showing that the modern world is deceptively simple if only we look at it from a different perspective. Riddled with stories and interesting puzzles, the book is as humorous as it is erudite in its content.
