Not a blog but a "q-and-a" (pronounced "quanda"), this page is about the basics of economics. Its premise: there are no stupid q's. And if some a's seem dim, take heart: I can brighten them up in response to objections, corrections, refinements. Comments on posts feature yours, and my responses. Enough of you now frequent and query the quanda that I post most every day. Haven't seen your q yet? Send it again. All a's should be taken with a shaker of sodium chloride, if not a Lot's-wife's-worth. And speaking of salt, the mustache and "hair" in the photo has a lot less of that condiment, and rather more pepper, than can be seen on TV. Think of it as time travel.
This week, we are running guest posts from some of our favorite economists about the best economics book they've read in recent months.
Dean Baker: Amidst all the tracts on health care written by policy wonks in the last couple of years, people are likely to find Sick and Tired: How America's Health Care System Fails Its Patient (Polipoint Press, 2010) to be a refreshing change of pace. Helene Jorgensen, the author, suffers from chronic lyme disease. She is also an economist (and my wife). She recounts her personal struggles with the health care system while reflecting on the larger systemic problems. The book is less academic than most recent books on health care policy but nonetheless is likely to provide new information even to health care policy wonks.
Simon Johnson and James Kwak's 13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown (Pantheon, 2010) is an excellent account of the problems in the financial system that laid the basis for the current economic crisis and have gone largely unaddressed in its aftermath. The book is especially valuable because Johnson, as a former chief economist at the IMF, has had extensive experience dealing with financial crises around the world. The book is written from the perspective of someone who wants to see capitalism work and can point out clearly why the current financial system is an obstacle.
Dean Bakeris co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research.
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Baker: The Best Econ Books I've Read Recently
_This week, we are running guest posts from some of our favorite economists about the best economics book they've read in recent months._
**Dean Baker:** Amidst all the tracts on health care written by policy wonks in the last couple of years, people are likely to find "Sick and Tired: How America's Health Care System Fails Its Patient":http://www.amazon.com/Sick-Tired-Americas-Health-Patients/dp/098241711X (Polipoint Press, 2010) to be a refreshing change of pace. Helene Jorgensen, the author, suffers from chronic lyme disease. She is also an economist (and my wife). She recounts her personal struggles with the health care system while reflecting on the larger systemic problems. The book is less academic than most recent books on health care policy but nonetheless is likely to provide new information even to health care policy wonks.
Simon Johnson and James Kwak's "13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown":http://www.amazon.com/13-Bankers-Takeover-Financial-Meltdown/dp/0307379051 (Pantheon, 2010) is an excellent account of the problems in the financial system that laid the basis for the current economic crisis and have gone largely unaddressed in its aftermath. The book is especially valuable because Johnson, as a former chief economist at the IMF, has had extensive experience dealing with financial crises around the world. The book is written from the perspective of someone who wants to see capitalism work and can point out clearly why the current financial system is an obstacle.
"_Dean Baker_":http://www.cepr.net/index.php/dean-baker/ _is co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research._
