What causes poverty? Are economic crises inevitable under capitalism? Is government intervention in an economy a helpful approach or a disastrous idea? The answers to such basic economic questions matter to everyone, yet the unfamiliar jargon and math of economics can seem daunting. This clear, accessible, and even humorous book is ideal for young readers new to economics and for all readers who seek a better understanding of the full sweep of economic...

Why are some parts of the world so rich and others so poor? Why did the Industrial Revolution--and the unprecedented economic growth that came with it--occur in eighteenth-century England, and not at some other time, or in some other place? Why didn't industrialization make the whole world rich--and why did it make large parts of the world even poorer? Economic historian Clark tackles these questions and suggests a new and provocative way in which...

"In The Contemporary Global Economy, Alfred Eckes provides a lively overview of recent turbulence in the world economy for non-specialists. Focusing on the dynamics of globalization since the 1980s, the book views developments historically, explaining how the main motors of economic change work and how we can discern their effects in the world today. Eckes begins with a brief description of economic change since the nineteenth century, the age of...