Books
Cogs and Monsters
Year Published: 2021
Diane’s most recent book, Cogs and Monsters, looks through the fields that are revolutionizing the tools of economics and the phenomena it seeks to measure, understand, and shape. It explores the enormous problems—but also opportunities—facing economics today if it is to respond effectively to these dizzying changes and help policymakers solve the world’s crises, from pandemic recovery and inequality to slow growth and the climate emergency.
Markets, State, and People: Economics for Public Policy
Year Published: 2020
Markets, State, and People offers a new way of approaching public economics, by stressing the basics of welfare economics and the interplay between individual and collective choices. It fills a gap by showing how economic theory relates to current policy questions, with a look at incentives, institutions, and efficiency. How should resources in society be allocated for the most economically efficient outcomes, and how does this sit with society’s sense of fairness?
GDP: A Brief But Affectionate History
Year Published: 2014
Published by Princeton University Press, GDP: A Brief But Affectionate History has been widely acclaimed for its deep look into the statistic that we use to define and measure national economies. Angel Gurria, Secretary General of the OECD, says it is: “A must-read for those interested in the far-reaching impact of GDP on the global economy, just as we seek ways to go beyond it.”
The Economics of Enough
Year Published: 2011
The Economics of Enough highlights a disregard for the future that underlies the multiple crises faced by the world’s leading economies. The theme of how to put sustainability – in all senses – into practice has been followed up in meetings with the OECD, the UK’s Department for Communities and the Environmental Assessment Agency of the Netherlands, among other bodies.
The Soulful Science
Year Published: 2007
The Soulful Science focuses on what economists really do and why it matters. The book surveys key developments in economics during the past 20 years, advances which have revolutionised economists’ ability to analyse society and improve policies. It was one of the business books of 2008 in The Times and featured in Les Echos and the French blogosphere.
New Wealth for Old Nations
Year Published: 2005
New Wealth for Old Nations, co-edited with Wendy Alexander and Brian Ashcroft, was published by Princeton University Press in May 2005. It provides a guide to policy priorities in small or regional economies.
Sex, Drugs and Economics
Year Published: 2002
Sex, Drugs and Economics is one of Diane’s previous bestsellers, and takes a fun look at the application of economics to all sorts of subjects. A revised version under a creative commons licence can be downloaded as a pdf file here.
Paradoxes of Prosperity
Year Published: 2001
Paradoxes of Prosperity introduces us to the contradictions of the New Economy – with its prospect of improved productivity, faster growth and higher living standards; and at the same time greater inequality and economic and political disruption.
The Weightless World
Year Published: 1997
Diane’s first book was ‘The Weightless World’, published in the UK by Capstone and in the US by the MIT Press, and also translated into many other languages. Download as a 1.9MB pdf file.
It was one of the first books to look at the way the new technologies mean that economies are growing increasingly weightless, or intangible.
Enlightenment Economics also publishes the Perspectives series, short books with insight into big issues, with the London Publishing Partnership.
A list of Diane’s older publications, talks and broadcasts is given below:
- Is the crisis in the economy a crisis of economics? Keynote presentation, Frankfurt am Main, 23 January 2012.
- Verweisen wirtschaftlich Krisen auf Krisen in den Wirtschaftswissenschaften? in Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftspolitik, 61. Jahrgang 2012. pp103-117.
- Economics is on the verge of a golden age, Chronicle of Higher Education, March 2010.
- Citizen ethics – Guardian debate on ethical reasoning, held at British Museum 26 February 2010, with Professor Michael Sandel and Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury
- Bailing out the banks: reconciling stability and competition, with Thorsten Beck et al, CEPR, February 2010.
- Public Value in Practice: Restoring the Ethos of Public Service, with Chris Woolard, BBC Trust, January 2010.
- Night Waves on Economics, BBC Radio 3, 23 October 2008.
- Wider Conditions for Innovation, Innovation Index Working Paper for National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts, September 2008.
- Boom, bang or bust? Twenty years of global, technological and financial innovation, published by Kroll, October 2007.
- How to Tackle Poverty: Economists are closing in on the answers, in World Economics, Vol 8, No.3, July-September 2007.
- Mobility: A Nation Under Siege, published by MTC Telecom, June 2007.
- Searching Questions, Analysis, BBC Radio Four, 27 July 2006.
- The China Challenge, Analysis, BBC Radio Four, 9 March 2006.
- The Trade Trap, Analysis, BBC Radio Four, 24 November 2005.
- The Economic Case for Immigration, in Economic Affairs, Vol 25, No. 1, pp53-55, March 2005.
- Is Sid Dead?, Analysis, BBC Radio Four, 17 April 2005.
- The Economy on the Couch, Analysis, BBC Radio Four, 2 December 2004.
- Some More Equal?, Analysis, BBC Radio Four, 22 September 2004.
- Our Economists Are No Longer Autistic, New Statesman, Big Ideas special issue, 26 July 2004.
- Sanctions: Persuasion or Punishment?, Analysis, BBC Radio Four, 22 July 2004.
- Organising for Success in Network Logic, Demos June 2004.
- Bending the Golden Rule?, Analysis, BBC Radio Four, 11 March 2004.
- Risky Business, Analysis, BBC Radio Four, 11 December 2003.
- ‘Measuring The New Economy’ in ‘Making the Net Work: Sustainable Development in a Digital Society’ by Vidhya Alekson et al, Forum for the Future, December 2003.
- Corporate Governance, Public Governance and Global Governance: the common thread Seminar given at University of Manchester, 22 October 2003.
- The Rain in Spain, Analysis, BBC Radio Four, 31 July 2003.
- ‘Inequality, Public Perception and the Institutional Responses to Globalisation’ (with Francois Bourguignon) in Moneda y Credito, ‘La Globalizacion y los Nuevos Retos de la Politica Economica’, vol 216 2003, pp 211-251.
- How To Think Like An Economist Talk given at the Institute for Political and Economic Governance,
- University of Manchester, 30 May 2003. Part 2 of “How to think like an Economist” talk.
- The Consequences of Saying No An independent report into the economic consequences of the UK saying no to the euro, edited by David Begg, May 2003.
- Getting the Measure of Knowledge, presentation at the Social Study of Information Technology Workshop, London School of Economics Information Systems Department, 24 April 2003. Slides
- A Silver Lining, Analysis, BBC Radio Four, 27 March 2003.
- Pride and Prejudice: What’s Good and Bad in Economics, in World Economics, January-March 2003, Vol.4, Number 1, 1-6.
- The Undeadly Sin, Analysis, BBC Radio Four, 28 November 2002.
- ‘The New Economy – Opportunity or Threat’ in ‘Enterprising Europe: A New Model for Global Business’ edited by Nick Isles, Spiro Press, November 2002.
- ‘The Implications of Structural Economic Change for European Policies’ in ‘Europe: Government and Money’ published by the The Federal Trust October 2002.
- Still Seeking the New Paradigm, presentation at the International Association of Official Statisticians Annual Conference, London, 27 August 2002.
- Look at the Progress Already made, The Guardian, Earth supplement, 24 August 2002.
- Follow the Leader, Analysis, BBC Radio Four, 15 August 2002.
- ‘Making Sense of Globalization: A Guide to the Economic Issues’ (with other authors) published by theCentre for Economic Policy Research July 2002.
- ‘Getting the Measure of the New Economy’ (with Danny Quah) published by the Work Foundation June 2002.
- Globalization and Us Notes for presentation for the Smith Institute at 11 Downing Street, 1 May 2002.
- The Future of Money, Analysis, BBC Radio Four, 18 April 2002.
- ‘The Political Economy of Globalization’ Presentation at Princeton University, 7 February 2002.
- House of Lords Enquiry on Globalization Submission to Economic Affairs committee, 9 January 2002.
- Globalising Gloom, Analysis, BBC Radio Four, 15 November 2001.
- ‘Making sense of published economic forecasts’, Chapter 4 in Understanding Economic Forecasts, ed DF Hendry and N Ericsson, MIT Press, 2001.
- Cogs and Monsters, Analysis, BBC Radio Four, 12 August 2001.
- Equality and the Modern Economy (with Amartya Sen), Smith Institute, 2001.
- How not to educate the information age workforce, Critical Quarterly, Volume 43, Number 1, Spring 2001.
- Unpredictability and Exclusion in the Weightless Economy, Social Inclusion: Possibilities and Tensions, edited by Peter Askonas and Angus Stewart, Macmillan August 2000.
- Where It’s At, Analysis, BBC Radio Four, November 2000.
- Governing the World Economy, Polity Press, September 2000.
- The New Economy World Tonight essay, BBC Radio Four 11/2/00.
- Does the New Economy Change Everything?,Prospect, February 2000.
- Hold the gloom, Town & Country Planning, January 2000.
- Technology and the Economy – the triumph of hope over experience? speech at Merrill Lynch/Imperial College conference, London, 10 November 1999.
- Winner Takes All Markets, Prospect, August/September 1998.
- Britain’s Urban Boom: the new economics of cities, June 1998, Comedia and Demos.
- Jobs in a Weightless World, May 1998, Employment Policy Institute, London.
- Guiding Global Markets, Prospect, January 1998.
- The Weightless Economy, Critical Quarterly, Volume 39, Number 4, Winter 1997.
- Britain and Emu: The Case for Joining, August 1997, Centre for European Reform.