💸 Economic Desperation

Stories driven by the crushing weight of poverty, debt, or financial ruin, where characters are pushed to moral extremes by the simple need to survive.

Not Working

by D.W. Gibson • 2012

What a paycheck conceals: Americans on the identity, health, and dignity that left with the job.

3.68

🎙️ Oral History 💸 Economic Precarity 🔨 Work And Identity 📉 Great Recession 🔄 Career Transitions

Not Working 89%

What a paycheck conceals: Americans on the identity, health, and dignity that left with the job.

by D.W. Gibson 2012

3.68

60 ratings

🎙️ Oral History 💸 Economic Precarity 🔨 Work And Identity 📉 Great Recession 🔄 Career Transitions

I Survived Capitalism and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt

by Madeline Pendleton • 2024

The financial rules that work when you are broke look nothing like the ones in the bestsellers.

4.52

4k+

💰 Financial Memoir 📱 Millennial Money 🏚️ Economic Precarity 🤝 Ethical Business ✊ Anti-Capitalist Critique

I Survived Capitalism and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt Summary

I Survived Capitalism and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt 88%

The financial rules that work when you are broke look nothing like the ones in the bestsellers.

by Madeline Pendleton 2024

4.52

4k+ ratings

💰 Financial Memoir 📱 Millennial Money 🏚️ Economic Precarity 🤝 Ethical Business ✊ Anti-Capitalist Critique

Broke, USA

by Gary Rivlin • 2010

How pawnshops and payday lenders turned the working poor into a multi-billion dollar market.

3.71

1k+

🦈 Predatory Lending 🏚️ Poverty Economics 🚪 Financial Exclusion 🏠 Subprime Crisis 🔄 Debt Cycles

Broke, USA 88%

How pawnshops and payday lenders turned the working poor into a multi-billion dollar market.

by Gary Rivlin 2010

3.71

1k+ ratings

🦈 Predatory Lending 🏚️ Poverty Economics 🚪 Financial Exclusion 🏠 Subprime Crisis 🔄 Debt Cycles

The Great Risk Shift

by Jacob S. Hacker • 2006

Income swings five times more than in the 1970s; the safety net was dismantled on purpose.

3.81

274

📉 Financial Fragility 🛡️ Safety Net Erosion 💼 Job Insecurity 👴 Retirement Crisis 🏥 Health Insurance Crisis

The Great Risk Shift 88%

Income swings five times more than in the 1970s; the safety net was dismantled on purpose.

by Jacob S. Hacker 2006

3.81

274 ratings

📉 Financial Fragility 🛡️ Safety Net Erosion 💼 Job Insecurity 👴 Retirement Crisis 🏥 Health Insurance Crisis

The New Great Depression

by James Rickards • 2021

A virus didn't cause this depression. The lockdown did, and a recovery isn't coming.

3.52

1k+

🏛️ Austrian Economics 🏦 Monetary Policy Critique 📉 Deflation Economics 🔻 Economic Depression 🌪️ Social Breakdown

The New Great Depression 88%

A virus didn't cause this depression. The lockdown did, and a recovery isn't coming.

by James Rickards 2021

3.52

1k+ ratings

🏛️ Austrian Economics 🏦 Monetary Policy Critique 📉 Deflation Economics 🔻 Economic Depression 🌪️ Social Breakdown

How the Poor Can Save Capitalism

by John Hope Bryant • 2014

The poor aren't a drain; they're an untapped engine. A blueprint for making capitalism include them.

3.99

210

🧠 Financial Literacy 📈 Credit Repair 🏦 Community Banking 💸 Predatory Lending 💭 Poverty Psychology

How the Poor Can Save Capitalism Summary

How the Poor Can Save Capitalism 88%

The poor aren't a drain; they're an untapped engine. A blueprint for making capitalism include them.

by John Hope Bryant 2014

3.99

210 ratings

🧠 Financial Literacy 📈 Credit Repair 🏦 Community Banking 💸 Predatory Lending 💭 Poverty Psychology

Portfolios of the Poor

by Daryl Collins • 2009

Hand-to-mouth is a myth. On $2 a day, the poor juggle a dozen financial instruments just to survive.

3.95

1k+

🌍 Development Economics 💰 Microfinance 🏦 Financial Inclusion 🕳️ Poverty Traps 🤝 Informal Economy

Portfolios of the Poor 88%

Hand-to-mouth is a myth. On $2 a day, the poor juggle a dozen financial instruments just to survive.

by Daryl Collins 2009

3.95

1k+ ratings

🌍 Development Economics 💰 Microfinance 🏦 Financial Inclusion 🕳️ Poverty Traps 🤝 Informal Economy

How the Other Half Banks

by Mehrsa Baradaran • 2015

Banks get public support but exclude the poor. The public option that restores the social contract.

4.09

626

🏦 Banking History 📜 Financial Regulation 🇺🇸 Us Economic Policy 🎣 Predatory Lending 🚫 Financial Exclusion

How the Other Half Banks 88%

Banks get public support but exclude the poor. The public option that restores the social contract.

by Mehrsa Baradaran 2015

4.09

626 ratings

🏦 Banking History 📜 Financial Regulation 🇺🇸 Us Economic Policy 🎣 Predatory Lending 🚫 Financial Exclusion

Glass House

by Brian Alexander • 2017

Private equity bought a glass factory. By the time they were done, a town was destroyed.

3.91

2k+

🏭 Deindustrialization 💰 Private Equity 💊 Opioid Epidemic 🏚️ Rust Belt 📰 Narrative Journalism

Glass House 88%

Private equity bought a glass factory. By the time they were done, a town was destroyed.

by Brian Alexander 2017

3.91

2k+ ratings

🏭 Deindustrialization 💰 Private Equity 💊 Opioid Epidemic 🏚️ Rust Belt 📰 Narrative Journalism

Financially Stupid People Are Everywhere

by Jason Kelly • 2010

Credit cards, car loans, and mortgages are not tools. They are the traps that keep Americans broke.

3.50

134

🏡 Frugal Living 💳 Debt Reduction 🗽 Financial Independence 🛒 Consumer Debt 🏦 Austrian Economics

Financially Stupid People Are Everywhere Summary

Financially Stupid People Are Everywhere 87%

Credit cards, car loans, and mortgages are not tools. They are the traps that keep Americans broke.

by Jason Kelly 2010

3.50

134 ratings

🏡 Frugal Living 💳 Debt Reduction 🗽 Financial Independence 🛒 Consumer Debt 🏦 Austrian Economics

Pound Foolish

by Helaine Olen • 2012

The personal finance industry wants you anxious, not wealthy. Your worry is their business model.

3.67

2k+

🦈 Predatory Finance 🔍 Investigative Journalism 💥 Anti-Self-Help 🏦 Retirement Crisis 🛡️ Consumer Advocacy

Pound Foolish 87%

The personal finance industry wants you anxious, not wealthy. Your worry is their business model.

by Helaine Olen 2012

3.67

2k+ ratings

🦈 Predatory Finance 🔍 Investigative Journalism 💥 Anti-Self-Help 🏦 Retirement Crisis 🛡️ Consumer Advocacy

The Great U-turn

by Barry Bluestone • 1988

After 1973, the American Dream reversed. The cause: deliberate choices by firms and the state.

3.40

🏭 Deindustrialization ⚖️ Income Inequality 💰 Financialization 🌏 Offshoring ⚒️ Union Decline

The Great U-turn 87%

After 1973, the American Dream reversed. The cause: deliberate choices by firms and the state.

by Barry Bluestone 1988

3.40

15 ratings

🏭 Deindustrialization ⚖️ Income Inequality 💰 Financialization 🌏 Offshoring ⚒️ Union Decline

In Our Hands

by Charles Murray • 2006

Eliminate every welfare program. Send every adult one check. It costs less and ends poverty.

3.74

290

🏦 Universal Basic Income 📋 Welfare Reform 🏘️ Civil Society 🗽 Libertarian Economics 🛡️ Social Insurance

In Our Hands 87%

Eliminate every welfare program. Send every adult one check. It costs less and ends poverty.

by Charles Murray 2006

3.74

290 ratings

🏦 Universal Basic Income 📋 Welfare Reform 🏘️ Civil Society 🗽 Libertarian Economics 🛡️ Social Insurance

The Human Cost of Welfare

by Phil Harvey • 2016

Welfare was built to end poverty. Its rules punish work, marriage, and saving instead.

4.45

🏛️ Welfare Reform 📉 Anti-Poverty Policy 💼 Work Incentives 🔗 Welfare Dependency 🪢 Social Safety Net

The Human Cost of Welfare 87%

Welfare was built to end poverty. Its rules punish work, marriage, and saving instead.

by Phil Harvey 2016

4.45

20 ratings

🏛️ Welfare Reform 📉 Anti-Poverty Policy 💼 Work Incentives 🔗 Welfare Dependency 🪢 Social Safety Net

Bailout Nation

by Barry Ritholtz • 2009

Wall Street keeps the upside. Taxpayers eat the losses. How America rewrote the rules of capitalism.

3.87

572

🏦 Financial Crises 💵 Monetary Policy 🏠 Housing Bubbles 💰 Corporate Bailouts ⚠️ Moral Hazard

Bailout Nation 87%

Wall Street keeps the upside. Taxpayers eat the losses. How America rewrote the rules of capitalism.

by Barry Ritholtz 2009

3.87

572 ratings

🏦 Financial Crises 💵 Monetary Policy 🏠 Housing Bubbles 💰 Corporate Bailouts ⚠️ Moral Hazard

All You Can Eat

by Joel Berg • 2008

America has the food to feed everyone. Why 35 million still go hungry.

3.88

137

🍽️ Food Insecurity 📋 Welfare Policy 🔗 Systemic Poverty 🏛️ Food Politics 🎭 Charity Critique

All You Can Eat 87%

America has the food to feed everyone. Why 35 million still go hungry.

by Joel Berg 2008

3.88

137 ratings

🍽️ Food Insecurity 📋 Welfare Policy 🔗 Systemic Poverty 🏛️ Food Politics 🎭 Charity Critique

Can We Avoid Another Financial Crisis?

by Steve Keen • 2017

When private debt passes 150% of GDP, a crisis is coming. Most economists won't see it.

4.22

281

💥 Financial Crises 💳 Private Debt 🏦 Endogenous Money 📈 Post-Keynesian Economics 🏠 Household Debt

Can We Avoid Another Financial Crisis? Summary

Can We Avoid Another Financial Crisis? 87%

When private debt passes 150% of GDP, a crisis is coming. Most economists won't see it.

by Steve Keen 2017

4.22

281 ratings

💥 Financial Crises 💳 Private Debt 🏦 Endogenous Money 📈 Post-Keynesian Economics 🏠 Household Debt

Aftermath

by Rickards James • 2019

Central banks buried 2008 in printed money. The real crash comes when the printing stops.

4.09

676

🏦 Financial Crises 🏛️ Central Banking ⚠️ Systemic Risk 🧠 Behavioral Economics 📉 Economic Inequality

Aftermath 87%

Central banks buried 2008 in printed money. The real crash comes when the printing stops.

by Rickards James 2019

4.09

676 ratings

🏦 Financial Crises 🏛️ Central Banking ⚠️ Systemic Risk 🧠 Behavioral Economics 📉 Economic Inequality

Reckless Endangerment

by Gretchen Morgenson • 2011

Good intentions met Wall Street greed and captured regulators. The crisis was built to order.

3.96

2k+

🏦 Financial Crises ⚖️ Regulatory Failure 🏚️ Subprime Lending 💰 Wall Street Excess 🔍 Investigative Journalism

Reckless Endangerment 87%

Good intentions met Wall Street greed and captured regulators. The crisis was built to order.

by Gretchen Morgenson 2011

3.96

2k+ ratings

🏦 Financial Crises ⚖️ Regulatory Failure 🏚️ Subprime Lending 💰 Wall Street Excess 🔍 Investigative Journalism

Men Without Work

by Nicholas Eberstadt • 2016

Seven million prime-age men have quit the workforce entirely. The problem isn't a lack of jobs.

3.41

501

🏭 Labor Economics 📊 Workforce Participation 🏛️ Welfare Reform 🔗 Mass Incarceration 🚹 Male Identity Crisis

Men Without Work 87%

Seven million prime-age men have quit the workforce entirely. The problem isn't a lack of jobs.

by Nicholas Eberstadt 2016

3.41

501 ratings

🏭 Labor Economics 📊 Workforce Participation 🏛️ Welfare Reform 🔗 Mass Incarceration 🚹 Male Identity Crisis

Poor Economics

by Abhijit V. Banerjee • 2011

Grand theories say invest in institutions. The data says deworm children and give away bed nets.

4.27

25k+

🏗️ Development Economics 🌍 Global Poverty 🧠 Behavioral Economics 🎲 Randomized Trials 📋 Evidence-Based Policy

Poor Economics 87%

Grand theories say invest in institutions. The data says deworm children and give away bed nets.

by Abhijit V. Banerjee 2011

4.27

25k+ ratings

🏗️ Development Economics 🌍 Global Poverty 🧠 Behavioral Economics 🎲 Randomized Trials 📋 Evidence-Based Policy

Essays on the Great Depression

by Ben S. Bernanke • 2000

Monetary collapse caused the Depression, and only abandoning the gold standard brought recovery.

3.77

133

🏛️ Economic History 💰 Monetary Economics 🥇 Gold Standard 🏦 Banking Crises 📉 Debt Deflation

Essays on the Great Depression 87%

Monetary collapse caused the Depression, and only abandoning the gold standard brought recovery.

by Ben S. Bernanke 2000

3.77

133 ratings

🏛️ Economic History 💰 Monetary Economics 🥇 Gold Standard 🏦 Banking Crises 📉 Debt Deflation

The Road to Freedom

by Joseph E. Stiglitz • 2024

Your freedom may be my shackles. A Nobel laureate redefines what economic freedom actually requires.

3.98

857

🏛️ Political Economy ⚖️ Economic Justice 📉 Market Failure 🤝 Collective Action 💥 Neoliberalism Critique

The Road to Freedom 87%

Your freedom may be my shackles. A Nobel laureate redefines what economic freedom actually requires.

by Joseph E. Stiglitz 2024

3.98

857 ratings

🏛️ Political Economy ⚖️ Economic Justice 📉 Market Failure 🤝 Collective Action 💥 Neoliberalism Critique

All That Is Solid

by Danny Dorling • 2014

Britain has a third more bedrooms than people. The housing disaster is engineered, not inevitable.

3.55

144

🏘️ Housing Policy 💰 Wealth Inequality 📈 Financialization 🌪️ Disaster Capitalism 🏢 Social Housing

All That Is Solid 87%

Britain has a third more bedrooms than people. The housing disaster is engineered, not inevitable.

by Danny Dorling 2014

3.55

144 ratings

🏘️ Housing Policy 💰 Wealth Inequality 📈 Financialization 🌪️ Disaster Capitalism 🏢 Social Housing

The New Human Rights Movement

by Peter Joseph • 2017

The economy is a well-oiled system of oppression. The case for rebuilding it, not fixing it.

4.33

625

🏛️ Political Economy ⚖️ Structural Inequality 🔗 Systems Thinking 💔 Structural Violence 🤖 Technological Unemployment

The New Human Rights Movement 87%

The economy is a well-oiled system of oppression. The case for rebuilding it, not fixing it.

by Peter Joseph 2017

4.33

625 ratings

🏛️ Political Economy ⚖️ Structural Inequality 🔗 Systems Thinking 💔 Structural Violence 🤖 Technological Unemployment

America

by Chris Hedges • 2018

Addiction, casinos, and the death of work: the symptoms of late capitalism's terminal stage.

4.23

3k+

🛒 Late Capitalism 🇺🇸 American Decline 💊 Opioid Crisis ⚙️ Working Class Erosion 📕 Marxist Critique

America 87%

Addiction, casinos, and the death of work: the symptoms of late capitalism's terminal stage.

by Chris Hedges 2018

4.23

3k+ ratings

🛒 Late Capitalism 🇺🇸 American Decline 💊 Opioid Crisis ⚙️ Working Class Erosion 📕 Marxist Critique

Boom Bust

by Fred Harrison • 1999

Land speculation drives the 18-year boom-bust cycle. The next crash already builds.

3.95

🏠 Land Economics 🫧 Housing Bubbles 📉 Boom-Bust Cycles 💥 Financial Crises 📜 Georgist Economics

Boom Bust 87%

Land speculation drives the 18-year boom-bust cycle. The next crash already builds.

by Fred Harrison 1999

3.95

38 ratings

🏠 Land Economics 🫧 Housing Bubbles 📉 Boom-Bust Cycles 💥 Financial Crises 📜 Georgist Economics

Rise of the Robots

by Martin Ford • 2015

Productivity soars, wages stagnate, and education won't fix it. The real economics of automation.

3.96

10k+

🤖 Technological Unemployment 🧠 Artificial Intelligence 📉 Income Inequality 💰 Basic Income 🔮 Future Of Work

Rise of the Robots 87%

Productivity soars, wages stagnate, and education won't fix it. The real economics of automation.

by Martin Ford 2015

3.96

10k+ ratings

🤖 Technological Unemployment 🧠 Artificial Intelligence 📉 Income Inequality 💰 Basic Income 🔮 Future Of Work

A Nation of Deadbeats

by Scott Reynolds Nelson • 2012

American booms and busts trace to borrowed optimism meeting foreign distrust.

3.69

136

📜 American Economic History 📉 Financial Panics 🫧 Speculative Bubbles 🌍 Global Capital Flows 🏦 Banking History

A Nation of Deadbeats 87%

American booms and busts trace to borrowed optimism meeting foreign distrust.

by Scott Reynolds Nelson 2012

3.69

136 ratings

📜 American Economic History 📉 Financial Panics 🫧 Speculative Bubbles 🌍 Global Capital Flows 🏦 Banking History

Maid

by Stephanie Land • 2019

A single mother cleans houses while barely holding onto her own: life inside the working poor.

3.86

114k+

💰 Working Poor 🧹 Domestic Labor 🌫️ Invisible Labor 🏷️ Poverty Stigma 📋 Welfare System

Maid 87%

A single mother cleans houses while barely holding onto her own: life inside the working poor.

by Stephanie Land 2019

3.86

114k+ ratings

💰 Working Poor 🧹 Domestic Labor 🌫️ Invisible Labor 🏷️ Poverty Stigma 📋 Welfare System

How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes

by Peter D. Schiff • 2010

A cartoon island parable about why stimulus and easy credit always end in a crash.

4.15

5k+

🏫 Austrian Economics 📖 Economic Literacy 📉 Inflation Critique 🔄 Economic Cycles 🫧 Debt And Bubbles

How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes Summary

How an Economy Grows and Why It Crashes 87%

A cartoon island parable about why stimulus and easy credit always end in a crash.

by Peter D. Schiff 2010

4.15

5k+ ratings

🏫 Austrian Economics 📖 Economic Literacy 📉 Inflation Critique 🔄 Economic Cycles 🫧 Debt And Bubbles

The Mystery Of Capital

by Hernando de Soto • 2000

$9.3 trillion: what the world's poor already own and cannot borrow a dime against.

3.99

4k+

🏠 Property Rights 🌍 Development Economics 🏘️ Informal Economies 🏛️ Institutional Economics ⚖️ Rule Of Law

The Mystery Of Capital 87%

$9.3 trillion: what the world's poor already own and cannot borrow a dime against.

by Hernando de Soto 2000

3.99

4k+ ratings

🏠 Property Rights 🌍 Development Economics 🏘️ Informal Economies 🏛️ Institutional Economics ⚖️ Rule Of Law

In the Shadow of the Poorhouse

by Michael B. Katz • 1986

American welfare was designed to deter, not to help. The poorhouse closed; the logic stayed.

3.74

138

📜 Welfare History 🏚️ Poverty Studies 🔗 Structural Inequality 🏭 Racial Capitalism 💰 Political Economy

In the Shadow of the Poorhouse 87%

American welfare was designed to deter, not to help. The poorhouse closed; the logic stayed.

by Michael B. Katz 1986

3.74

138 ratings

📜 Welfare History 🏚️ Poverty Studies 🔗 Structural Inequality 🏭 Racial Capitalism 💰 Political Economy

The Mandibles

by Lionel Shriver • 2016

The Mandibles waited decades for an inheritance that disappears the night America defaults.

3.71

12k+

🏚️ Economic Collapse 💸 Failed Inheritance 👁️ Surveillance State 📉 Generational Decline 🐌 Slow Apocalypse

The Mandibles 87%

The Mandibles waited decades for an inheritance that disappears the night America defaults.

by Lionel Shriver 2016

3.71

12k+ ratings

🏚️ Economic Collapse 💸 Failed Inheritance 👁️ Surveillance State 📉 Generational Decline 🐌 Slow Apocalypse

Hillbilly Elegy

by J.D. Vance • 2016

Poverty teaches a lesson that keeps you poor: your effort doesn't matter.

3.83

508k+

⛰️ Appalachian Memoir 🏭 White Working Class 🧸 Childhood Adversity 📈 Upward Mobility 🔁 Generational Cycles

Hillbilly Elegy 87%

Poverty teaches a lesson that keeps you poor: your effort doesn't matter.

by J.D. Vance 2016

3.83

508k+ ratings

⛰️ Appalachian Memoir 🏭 White Working Class 🧸 Childhood Adversity 📈 Upward Mobility 🔁 Generational Cycles

Angrynomics

by Eric Lonergan • 2020

Economic anger has two sources: grievances elites ignore, and tribal rage politicians exploit.

3.90

842

🏛️ Political Economy 📊 Economic Inequality 🏦 Monetary Policy 💰 Fiscal Policy 😤 Anger And Politics

Angrynomics 87%

Economic anger has two sources: grievances elites ignore, and tribal rage politicians exploit.

by Eric Lonergan 2020

3.90

842 ratings

🏛️ Political Economy 📊 Economic Inequality 🏦 Monetary Policy 💰 Fiscal Policy 😤 Anger And Politics

Can "It" Happen Again?

by Hyman P. Minsky • 1982

Stability plants the seeds of crisis: why capitalism's calmest moments are its most dangerous.

4.31

🏛️ Post-Keynesian Economics 📉 Financial Crises 🎲 Speculative Finance 🔗 Debt And Leverage 🏦 Monetary Policy

Can "It" Happen Again? 87%

Stability plants the seeds of crisis: why capitalism's calmest moments are its most dangerous.

by Hyman P. Minsky 1982

4.31

52 ratings

🏛️ Post-Keynesian Economics 📉 Financial Crises 🎲 Speculative Finance 🔗 Debt And Leverage 🏦 Monetary Policy

The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man

by John Perkins • 2016

Empire runs on rigged loans and broken countries. One of its architects tells all.

3.93

8k+

🏴 Neocolonialism 🌐 Global Finance 📣 Whistleblower Accounts 🏢 Corporate Power 💸 Debt And Power

The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man Summary

The New Confessions of an Economic Hit Man 87%

Empire runs on rigged loans and broken countries. One of its architects tells all.

by John Perkins 2016

3.93

8k+ ratings

🏴 Neocolonialism 🌐 Global Finance 📣 Whistleblower Accounts 🏢 Corporate Power 💸 Debt And Power

Freefall

by Joseph E. Stiglitz • 2010

The 2008 crash was a crisis of economic ideas, not just banks. The ideas are still orthodox.

3.88

4k+

📉 Financial Crises 🏛️ Economic Policy ⚖️ Market Regulation 🔓 Deregulation ⚠️ Moral Hazard

Freefall 87%

The 2008 crash was a crisis of economic ideas, not just banks. The ideas are still orthodox.

by Joseph E. Stiglitz 2010

3.88

4k+ ratings

📉 Financial Crises 🏛️ Economic Policy ⚖️ Market Regulation 🔓 Deregulation ⚠️ Moral Hazard

Early Retirement Extreme

by Jacob Lund Fisker • 2010

Retire in five years: save 75% of your income and learn to do absolutely everything yourself.

3.96

4k+

🏦 Financial Independence 🧮 Extreme Frugality 🌱 Voluntary Simplicity 🎨 Lifestyle Design ⚙️ Systems Thinking

Early Retirement Extreme 87%

Retire in five years: save 75% of your income and learn to do absolutely everything yourself.

by Jacob Lund Fisker 2010

3.96

4k+ ratings

🏦 Financial Independence 🧮 Extreme Frugality 🌱 Voluntary Simplicity 🎨 Lifestyle Design ⚙️ Systems Thinking

A World Without Work

by Daniel Susskind • 2020

Past automation always created more jobs than it killed. The evidence that this time is different.

3.83

2k+

🏭 Technological Unemployment 📊 Automation Economics 🌅 Post-Work Society 💰 Universal Basic Income 📈 Inequality Economics

A World Without Work 87%

Past automation always created more jobs than it killed. The evidence that this time is different.

by Daniel Susskind 2020

3.83

2k+ ratings

🏭 Technological Unemployment 📊 Automation Economics 🌅 Post-Work Society 💰 Universal Basic Income 📈 Inequality Economics

Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy

by Joseph E. Stiglitz • 2015

A Nobel economist reveals which rules broke the American economy, and how to fix them.

3.98

291

🏛️ Political Economy 📉 Inequality Economics 💰 Rent-Seeking 👷 Labor Markets 🏦 Financialization

Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy Summary

Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy 87%

A Nobel economist reveals which rules broke the American economy, and how to fix them.

by Joseph E. Stiglitz 2015

3.98

291 ratings

🏛️ Political Economy 📉 Inequality Economics 💰 Rent-Seeking 👷 Labor Markets 🏦 Financialization

Gang Leader for a Day

by Sudhir Venkatesh • 2008

A sociologist ran a Chicago gang for a day. The books were cleaner than he expected.

4.07

26k+

🏙️ Urban Poverty 📝 Ethnographic Fieldwork 💰 Underground Economy 🏠 Housing Inequality 👁️ Participant Observation

Gang Leader for a Day 87%

A sociologist ran a Chicago gang for a day. The books were cleaner than he expected.

by Sudhir Venkatesh 2008

4.07

26k+ ratings

🏙️ Urban Poverty 📝 Ethnographic Fieldwork 💰 Underground Economy 🏠 Housing Inequality 👁️ Participant Observation

The Corrosion of Character

by Richard Sennett • 1996

Flexible work promised freedom. It delivered the slow erosion of loyalty, trust, and a stable self.

3.94

2k+

🪤 Precarious Labor 🎭 Work And Identity 🏭 Post-Fordist Economy 📖 Critical Theory 🏢 Corporate Alienation

The Corrosion of Character 87%

Flexible work promised freedom. It delivered the slow erosion of loyalty, trust, and a stable self.

by Richard Sennett 1996

3.94

2k+ ratings

🪤 Precarious Labor 🎭 Work And Identity 🏭 Post-Fordist Economy 📖 Critical Theory 🏢 Corporate Alienation

Bachelor Pad Economics

by Aaron Clarey • 2013

The standard advice about college, career, and marriage is ruining young men. Here is the fix.

4.18

739

🏦 Personal Finance 💰 Financial Independence 🏚️ Frugal Living 💔 Dating Strategy 📊 Career Strategy

Bachelor Pad Economics 87%

The standard advice about college, career, and marriage is ruining young men. Here is the fix.

by Aaron Clarey 2013

4.18

739 ratings

🏦 Personal Finance 💰 Financial Independence 🏚️ Frugal Living 💔 Dating Strategy 📊 Career Strategy

The Almightier

by Paul Vigna • 2025

From temple tokens to God: how money sanctified greed and outlawed debt relief.

3.79

🔄 History Of Money 🌀 Debt Jubilee 💰 Greed And Virtue ⛪ Money And Religion ⚖️ Moral Economy

The Almightier 87%

From temple tokens to God: how money sanctified greed and outlawed debt relief.

by Paul Vigna 2025

3.79

89 ratings

🔄 History Of Money 🌀 Debt Jubilee 💰 Greed And Virtue ⛪ Money And Religion ⚖️ Moral Economy

Easy Money

by Vivek Kaul • 2015

A Ponzi scheme built on bad loans and fake ratings: how the 2008 crash really happened.

4.40

107

📉 Financial Crises 🏚️ Subprime Mortgage Crisis 🔗 Systemic Risk 🎲 Moral Hazard ⚖️ Financial Regulation

Easy Money 87%

A Ponzi scheme built on bad loans and fake ratings: how the 2008 crash really happened.

by Vivek Kaul 2015

4.40

107 ratings

📉 Financial Crises 🏚️ Subprime Mortgage Crisis 🔗 Systemic Risk 🎲 Moral Hazard ⚖️ Financial Regulation

Paper Promises

by Philip Coggan • 2011

The gold standard died in 1914. The debt-fueled system that replaced it is dying now.

3.94

552

💰 Monetary History 🏦 Sovereign Debt ⚖️ Debt Politics 💥 Financial Crises 🔄 Minskyan Economics

Paper Promises 87%

The gold standard died in 1914. The debt-fueled system that replaced it is dying now.

by Philip Coggan 2011

3.94

552 ratings

💰 Monetary History 🏦 Sovereign Debt ⚖️ Debt Politics 💥 Financial Crises 🔄 Minskyan Economics

Kids These Days

by Malcolm Harris • 2017

Childhood became a competition for human capital. Millennials are what that competition produces.

3.77

2k+

👥 Generational Economics 💼 Human Capital Theory 💸 Student Debt Crisis 🔧 Precarious Labor 🏛️ Neoliberal Critique

Kids These Days 87%

Childhood became a competition for human capital. Millennials are what that competition produces.

by Malcolm Harris 2017

3.77

2k+ ratings

👥 Generational Economics 💼 Human Capital Theory 💸 Student Debt Crisis 🔧 Precarious Labor 🏛️ Neoliberal Critique

Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism

by Anne Case • 2020

Less-educated white Americans are dying younger. The cause is not drugs or suicide; it's capitalism.

3.81

2k+

🏥 Public Health 🏭 Labor Economics ⚖️ Health Inequality 💊 Opioid Crisis 🏚️ Deindustrialization

Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism Summary

Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism 87%

Less-educated white Americans are dying younger. The cause is not drugs or suicide; it's capitalism.

by Anne Case 2020

3.81

2k+ ratings

🏥 Public Health 🏭 Labor Economics ⚖️ Health Inequality 💊 Opioid Crisis 🏚️ Deindustrialization

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