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Recommended Readings for Non-Economists |
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People interested in learning more about economics frequently ask me to recommend books or videos. The list below contains some of the best non-technical sources I have found.
Seinfeld clips arranged by economic topic.
Would You Give Up the Internet for $1 Million? A video that takes a look at how well off people are now than in the past.
Christianity and Self-Ownership This is an excellent short essay by Isaac Morehouse on the relationship between Christianity and Classical Liberal thought.
This is a historical novel by Ken Follet. The novel is not about economics, but Follet weaves into the novel many examples of economic principles. The examples are detailed enough to provide the reader with many quality insights into economics. While interesting, the BBC series based on the book, does not come close to the novel’s quality.
This is the sequel to Pillars of the Earth. Most sequels are mere shadows of greater works. Not so with this. World Without End is as good as Pillars of the Earth — both as a piece of literature and as a primer in economic principles.
The book is a collection of chapters that discuss people’s behaviors from an economic perspective. The chapters can be read in any order. The book is written for a lay audience, and is non-technical.
The author (not an economist) travelled the world in an attempt to answer the question, “what makes some countries rich and other countries poor?” This book is the result of those travels. The author, P.J. O’Rourke, is extremely funny. The fact that he is not an economist is a help to non-economist readers.
This is a short story in which the author explores the knowledge necessary to create the lowly pencil, and makes the argument that the required knowledge is so vast that no one can create a pencil. Pencils exist not because of the interactions of individual people and firms, each of which has enough knowledge to create a part of the pencil.
Here are some videos on economic and other topics.
Profits and Creative Destruction
Technology and Rising Standards of Living
Is Sweden the Counterargument to Free Markets?
Economics and First Principles
Octaviaa (not economics, but cool nonetheless)
Pluralizing with an apostrophe
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