Episode · The Ezra Klein Show · 2025-03-14
Books mentioned on Is Trump ‘Detoxing’ the Economy or Poisoning It? | The Ezra Klein Show
Jillian Tett recommended National Power and the Structure of Foreign Trade by Albert Hirschman, A Dictionary of Chinese-Japanese Words in the Japanese Language by John Harrington Gubbins, The Economic Consequences of the Peace by John Maynard Keynes, Debt by David Graeber, and How to Think Like an Anthropologist by Matthew Engelke, and discussed General Theory Of Employment , Interest And Money by John Maynard Keynes.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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General Theory Of Employment , Interest And Money
John Maynard Keynes's influential 1936 economic treatise reshaped macroeconomic policy and continues to provoke critical debate among modern economists and scholars.
Discussed“and as someone who also spend a lot of time thinking about economic history and is head of King's College in Cambridge which was where John Min kanes was based I'm also haunted by the fact that in 1919 after World War One John man KES wrote a haunting pamphlet called The Economic Consequences of the Peace in which he”
Where to get it
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National Power and the Structure of Foreign Trade
National Power and the Structure of Foreign Trade by Albert Hirschman is a classic 1945 economic text that investigates how international trade can be utilized as an instrument of national power and political leverage.
Recommended“so the first one I'd recommend is Albert hershman's National Power and the structure of foreign trade um from 1945 which is something that's gone completely out of fashion in recent years but shed a lot of light on where we are today”
Where to get it
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A Dictionary of Chinese-Japanese Words in the Japanese Language
A Dictionary of Chinese-Japanese Words in the Japanese Language by John Harrington Gubbins is a specialized linguistic reference work documenting Sino-Japanese vocabulary.
Recommended“I would recommend John Min Kan The Economic Consequences of the piece um which just read the first third the last two thirds not worth reading”
Where to get it
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The Economic Consequences of the Peace
The Economic Consequences of the Peace by John Maynard Keynes is a foundational 1919 text that critiques the punitive reparations imposed on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles and warns of the disastrous economic repercussions for Europe.
Recommended“I would recommend John Min Kan The Economic Consequences of the piece um which just read the first third the last two thirds not worth reading”
Where to get it
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Debt
Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber is an anthropological examination of how debt systems, financial classes, and power dynamics have shaped human civilization over millennia.
Recommended“and I'd recommend another book which is David graber's debt the first 5,000 years which looks at what you do with debt system systems from a very long-term perspective and makes a point about the fact that debt is always about power”
Where to get it
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How to Think Like an Anthropologist
How to Think Like an Anthropologist by Matthew Engelke is an accessible introduction to the core concepts, methods, and theoretical perspectives of anthropology, designed to help readers understand human culture and social behavior.
Recommended“if you want to get a very quick take on what anthropology is there's a book by Matthew Angel called think like an anthropologist that summarizes some of the key ideas in anthropology”
Where to get it
