This week, Paul and Goldy look back at the most notable economics books of the year. They discuss Ezra Klein and David Thompson’s Abundance, Cory Doctorow’s blistering Enshittification, Thomas Piketty’s new works on inequality, Diane Coyle’s fresh take on GDP, and the overlooked history behind the Garland Fund. Whether you’re hunting for a holiday gift for the wonk in the family or looking to understand the ideas driving today’s political economy, this episode is full of must-reads.
Must-Read Economics Books 2025
Abundance by Ezra Klein and David Thompson
Enshittification: Why Everything Suddenly Got Worse and What to Do About It by Cory Doctorow
Equality Is a Struggle by Thomas Piketty
Nature, Culture, and Inequality by Thomas Piketty
Equality: What It Means and Why It Matters by Thomas Piketty and Michael J. Sandel
The Measure of Progress: Counting What Really Matters by Diane Coyle
The Radical Fund: How a Band of Visionaries and a Million Dollars Upended America by John Fabian Witt
Honorable Mention
Ricardo’s Dream: How Economists Forgot the Real World and Led Us Astray By Nat Dyer
Why Information Grows: The Evolution of Order, from Atoms to Economies by Cesar Hidalgo
Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America by Robert Reisch
Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist Liz Pelly
Other Books Mentioned in Episode
Homelessness is a Housing Problem by Greg Colburn & Clayton Page Aldern
Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress--And How to Bring It Back by Marc Dunkelman
Capital in the 21st Century by Thomas Piketty
The Gardens of Democracy: A New American Story of Citizenship, the Economy, and the Role of Government by Nick Hanauer & Eric Liu
Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx
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