Edible Economics: A Hungry Economist Explains the World - Hardcover

by Ha-Joon Chang (Author)

A creative and surprising exploration of economics through the lens of the food and global cuisine―from the bestselling author of Economics.

For decades, a single, free-market philosophy has dominated global economics. But this intellectual monoculture is bland and unhealthy. Ha-Joon Chang makes challenging economic ideas delicious by plating them alongside stories about food from around the world, using the diverse histories behind familiar food items to explore economic theory. For Chang, chocolate is a lifelong addiction, but more exciting are the insights it offers into postindustrial knowledge economies; and while okra makes Southern gumbo heart-meltingly smooth, it also speaks of capitalism's entangled relationship with freedom.

Myth-busting, witty, and thought-provoking, Edible Economics serves up a feast of bold ideas about globalization, climate change, immigration, austerity, automation, and why carrots need not be orange. It shows that getting to grips with the economy is like learning a recipe: when we understand it, we can adapt and improve it--and better understand our world.

Author Biography

Ha-Joon Chang is a Professor Economics at SOAS University of London, and is one of the world's leading economists. His books include Economics: The User's Guide, Bad Samaritans and 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism, which was an international no.1 bestseller.