Our textbook, first released November 2017, published by Routledge (fancy academic publisher) Created and edited by a team of international student volunteers over many years who also wrote the intro. Each chapter introduces a different school of thought and is authored by an academic at the forefront of that field. You can check out the workshop and workbook associated with the publication. Why not run it in your institution?
Doughnut Economics, Kate Raworth
The world we see around us is a consequence of how we visualise, count and think about the economy. If we want to save the world and avoid total ecocide Kate posits that we need to “stop trying to solve 21st century issues, with a curriculum the the 20th century with ideas from the 19th century”. If you can’t get hold of the book, check out her animated short videos outlining each chapter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mkg2XMTWV4g
Economics, a user’s guide Ha-Joon Chang
A very easily readable and funny introduction to the history and development of economic thinking, influential ideas, how economics is influenced by the times we live in and what separates the different strands of economic theory from each other.
The Origin of Wealth Eric D. Beinhocker
Sketches out how complexity economists view the world. But the most interesting part of this book are the first and second part where we are presented with the origin and history of the ideas, models and intuitions we are being taught within mainstream economics to this very day. It also features a brilliant critique of why the current status quo is not sufficient to explain or model many very prominent phenomena in the economy we see around us.
The Entrepreneurial State Mariana Mazzucato
Written by one pissed off academic. The book aims to debunk myths about how innovation happens by having a historical look at things and following the money. The result is a dazzling book that explains how some simple but false intuitions we learn in the classroom can be a major inhibition of progress in society. Cannot be more highly recommended.
The Essential Keynes Robert Skidelsky
Written by one of Britain's authorities on economic history. Do you think you know Keynes after taking macro 1? Think again, you’re not even close. This book will provide you with a condensed version of keynes insights, intuitions and some of his short essays.
The value of everything Mariana Mazzucato
The book uses case studies–from Silicon Valley to the financial sector to big pharma–to show how the foggy notions of value create confusion between rents and profits, a difference that distorts the measurements of growth and GDP. The lesson here is urgent and sobering: to rescue our economy from the next, inevitable crisis and to foster long-term economic growth, we will need to rethink capitalism, rethink the role of public policy and the importance of the public sector, and redefine how we measure value in our society.
The Production of Money: How to Break the Power of Bankers Ann Pettifor
The Production of Money examines and assesses popular alternative debates on, and innovations in, money, such as “green QE” and “helicopter money.” She sets out the possibility of linking the money in our pockets (or on our smartphones) to the improvements we want to see in the world around us.