No, not congresswere talking about gross domestic product, the measure that economists use to tell us how were doing. The book ends by making the case that gdp was a good measure for the twentieth century but is increasingly inappropriate for a twentyfirstcentury economy. The book ends by making the case that gdp was a good measure for the twentieth century but is increasingly inappropriate for a twentyfirstcentury economy driven by innovation, services, and intangible goods. Its size ensures that all areas of economics are strongly represented in both research and teaching.
A brief but affectionate history is just what the title promises. This entertaining and informative book tells the story of gdp, making sense of a statistic that appears constantly in the news, business, and politics, and that seems to rule our livesbut that hardly anyone actually. The answers to all these questions lie in the way we define and measure national economies around the world. John mauldin as a potted history of approaches to quantifying national output from the 18th century onward, gdp. Coylea graceful and witty writer, by the wayrecounts familiar problems and adds some new ones. Arnold kling, american in a charming and accessible new book, diane coyle untangles the history, assumptions, challenges and shortcomings of this popular rhetorical device, which has become so central to policy debates around the world. A brief but affectionate history by diane coyle home. How gdp came to rule our lives and why it needs to change for the twentyfirst century. There are diversions, but they are mentions of societal changes, wars and the like, which made gdp evolve the way it did. A brief but affectionate history by diane coyle article pdf available in journal of economic literature 542. A brief but affectionate history ninas reading blog. A brief but affectionate history the enlightened economist. With this brief but affectionate history, diane coyle aims to tell the story of gdp, making sense of a statistic that appears constantly in the news, business, and politics, and that seems to rule our livesbut. For example, early definitions of national income did not include government spending, because governments before the late nineteenth and early twentieth century had such limited functions.
It is probably best treated as a long essay and read through relatively quickly, rather than as i read it, chapter by chapter over a period of months. A brief but affectionate history 2015 moral markets. A brief but affectionate history by diane coyle is a short, wellwritten, interesting book that ultimately disappointed me for three reasons. A brief but affectionate history is a fascinating 140page book that i cannot recommend highly enough. A brief but affectionate history, published by princeton university press, has been widely acclaimed. A brief but affectionate history lecture by dr diane. Louise rawlings, economic record choice a little charmer of a book. Gdp a brief but affectionate history revised and expanded edition by diane coyle and publisher princeton university press. Jan 3 cris sheridan welcomes diane coyle, who heads enlightenment economics, a uk consultancy specializing in the economic and social effects of new technologies. A brief but affectionate history, princeton university press, 2014, 168 pages. As a potted history of approaches to quantifying national output from the 18th century onward, gdp. One of my favourite economic reads of 2014 was diane coyles book about an economic statistic gdp. And why was greeces chief statistician charged with treason in 20 for apparently doing nothing more than.
The department of economics at lse is one of the largest economics departments in the world. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. You can follow any responses to this entry through the rss 2. This entertaining and informative book tells the story of gdp, making sense of a statistic that appears constantly in the news, business, and politics, and that seems to rule our livesbut that. A brief but affectionate history ebook by diane coyle. Gdp is a familiar piece of jargon that doesnt actually mean much to most people. Looking at the history of gdp and of earlier ways of thinking about the economy help to clarify what it is that we should be trying to measure to assess the state of the economy. But this is not a question of measuring a natural phenomenon like land mass or average temperature to varying degrees of accuracy. A brief but affectionate history deserves high marks. A brief but affectionate history, a bodge, an ongoing argument. If you are going to read only one book on gdp, diane coyles gdp. Cowperthwaite himself would nod in agreement over ms. It is probably best treated as a long essay and read through relatively quickly, rather than as i.
Coyles informed discussion of what the gdp misses and how it misfires. Save up to 80% by choosing the etextbook option for isbn. Angel gurria, secretary general of the oecd, says it is. A brief but affectionate history isbn 9780691169859. A mustread for those interested in the farreaching impact of gdp on the global economy, just as. Economic historians have shown that output stagnation was the rule through most of recorded history. Gdp is a very recent addition to the stock of human knowledge.
But the concept of gross domestic product has now become. The book explains why even small changes in gdp can decide elections, influence major political decisions, and determine whether countries can keep borrowing or be thrown into recession. This entertaining and informative book tells the story of gdp, making sense of a statistic that appears constantly in the news, business, and politics, and that seems to rule our livesbut that hardly anyone. This book is the story of how this statistic came to be so important. Gdp ebook by diane coyle 9781400873630 rakuten kobo.
A brief but affectionate history revised and expanded. Gdp is the way we measure and compare how well or badly countries are doing. More important, you should read a book on gdp, as many of the political. It is perhaps the highest accolade an acronym or initialism can hope for. This entertaining and informative book tells the story of gdp, making sense of a statistic that appears constantly in the news, business, and politics, and that seems to rule our livesbut that hardly anyone actually understands. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. Oct 21, 2014 looking at the history of gdp and of earlier ways of thinking about the economy help to clarify what it is that we should be trying to measure to assess the state of the economy. The structure of a brief but affectionate history, with ideas tacked onto a chronological framework, could have been confusing if it were not for the fact that the book is so short. How gdp came to rule our livesand why it needs to change why did the size of the u. A brief but affectionate history isbn 9780691169859 pdf. Arnold kling, american in a charming and accessible new book, diane coyle untangles the history, assumptions, challenges and shortcomings of this popular rhetorical device, which has become so central to. Simon kuznets, an economist at the national bureau of economic research, presents the original formulation of gross domestic product in his report to.
Simon kuznets, an economist at the national bureau of economic research, presents the original formulation of gross domestic product in his report to the u. There is so much wrong with gdp, its hard to plough a straight row through. A brief but affectionate history explains why even small changes in gdp can decide elections, influence major political decisions, and determine whether countries can keep borrowing or be thrown into recession. According to an official european commission inquiry.
A brief but affectionate history revised and expanded edition, economics books, princeton university press, edition 2, number 10598, december. Gdp is a thoughtprovoking account of how the gross domestic product statistic came to be so important. A brief but affectionate history nutzerbericht kirkus. The book ends by making the case that gdp was a good measure for the twentieth century but is increasingly inappropriate for a. A brief but affectionate history, is a timely contribution to discussions of modern economic performance. Whilst monarchs had been trying to take inventories of the national wealth since the doomsday book and earlier so they could tax it. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading gdp. Gdp is a relatively modern way of measuring the size of economic output, and differs in some important ways from earlier methods. She does it by structuring her book as history, showing how economies and gdp have evolved over eras. This is simply the best book on gdp that ive ever seen.
John mauldin well written, interesting, and useful, this book will appeal to many readers. Its inadequate and misleading, but its the best weve got. A mustread for those interested in the farreaching impact of gdp on the global economy, just as we seek ways to go beyond it. A brief but affectionate history revised and expanded edition kindle edition by coyle, diane. Jan 28, 2014 gdp is, as diane coyle points out in her entertaining and informative gdp. A brief but affectionate history is an entertaining and informative book that tells the story of gdp making sense of a statistic that appears constantly in the news, business, and politics, and that seems to rule our livesbut that hardly anyone actually understands. A brief but affectionate history diane coyle download.