Sixth Form Recommended Reading

The Quest for Prosperity by Justin Yifu Lin

How can developing countries grow their economies? Most answers to this question centre on what the rich world should or shouldn't do for the poor world. In The Quest for Prosperity, Justin Yifu Lin — the first non-Westerner to be chief economist of the World Bank — focuses on what developing nations can do to help themselves. Lin examines how the countries that have succeeded in developing their own economies have actually done it. Interwoven with insights, observations, and stories from Lin's travels as chief economist of the World Bank and his reflections on China's rise, this book provides a road map and hope for those countries engaged in their own quest for prosperity.

The Worldly Philosophers by Robert Heilbroner

The final revision of this classic bestseller, the 7th edition defines the common thread linking the world's greatest economic thinkers and explores the philosophies that motivate them. Hailed by Galbraith as a "brilliant achievement", The Worldly Philosophers not only enables us to see more deeply into our history, but helps us to better understand our own times. Heilbroner provides the new theme that connects thinkers as different as Adam Smith and Karl Marx: the desire to understand how a capitalist society works. A new chapter conveys a concern that today's increasingly "scientific" economics may overlook fundamental social and political issues that are central to economics.

Positive Linking by Paul Ormerod

According to Paul Ormerod, author of the bestselling Butterfly Economics and Why Most Things Fail, the mechanistic viewpoint of conventional economics is drastically limited - because it cannot comprehend the vital nature of networks. As our societies become ever more dynamic and intertwined, network effects on every level are increasingly profound. 'Nudge theory' is popular, but only part of the answer. According to Paul Ormerod, to grapple successfully with the current financial crisis, businesses and politicians need to grasp the perils and possibilities of Positive Linking.

Our social and economic worlds have been revolutionised by a