Books

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

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: