Selfishness, Greed and Capitalism by Christopher Snowdon

Selfishness, Greed and Capitalism by Christopher Snowdon

This book attempts to correct many of the economic myths that prevail in public discourse and which are often promoted in schools and even universities. It begins by examining straw men, such as the assertion that economists believe that people behave selfishly or that economists think that GDP is all that matters. The fact that economists do not believe these things at all is easily established and it is surprising that scholars with good publication records (albeit not in the philosophy of economics) can honestly argue otherwise. The author then moves on to look at myths that can be subjected to empirical analysis and easily shown to be false. These myths, such as the idea that the poor are getting poorer while the rich get richer, or that we are working longer hours, are easily rebutted. This is not a book about economic theory, nor does it attempt to settle major controversies. On the few occasions where the subject matter touches on a genuine academic debate, this is acknowledged in the text. For the most part, however, the questions posed can be answered by consulting evidence that is widely available or - in the case of the straw men - listening to what economists actually say.

Christopher Snowdon is an author and freelance journalist based in the UK. He writes for Spiked and other publications. He is particularly known as a vocal opponent of Government intervention in matters such as alcohol and obesity. He is a research fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780255366779
ISBN 10	0255366779
Title	Selfishness, Greed and Capitalism
Author	Christopher Snowdon
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Institute of Economic Affairs
Year published	2014-12-15
Number of pages	208
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.