The Company of Strangers: A Natural History of Economic Life
Categories: Business & Money, Politics & Social Sciences
Economist Paul Seabright asks how humans, evolved to live in small groups, came to trust and cooperate with millions of strangers in modern economies. Drawing on biology, anthropology, history and economics, he explains how institutions such as money, markets and cities make this cooperation possible. He also shows why these networks are fragile, and how failures of trust lead to crises, environmental damage and inequality. The revised edition adds a discussion of the financial crisis.
Recommended by 1 person
- Shane Parrish: “An interesting book that situates economics in a multi-disciplinary perspective on humanity. Drawing on a lot of biology, anthropology, and history, this book makes us understand the role of the economy in our life in a whole new way”