Mentioned in Podcasts

Person

Every book Scott Sumner recommended on podcasts

Key facts

  • Scott Sumner has recommended or discussed 3 books on podcasts, as of January 8, 2025.
  • Scott Sumner has talked about books on 2 podcasts, as of January 8, 2025.
  • Those books came up in 2 episodes, as of January 8, 2025.
  • The 3 books Scott Sumner has mentioned in the most episodes, as of January 8, 2025: Pop Internationalism, My Struggle and Solenoid.
  • The latest episode with a book mention from Scott Sumner aired on January 8, 2025.

Updated

Guest on Conversations with Tyler, EconTalk · 3 books · 2 episodes across 2 podcasts

Across 2 podcasts. Every show Scott Sumner appears on, in one place — not just one.

Scott Sumner is an economist and writer who frequently discusses monetary policy, economic history, and cultural topics on intellectual podcasts. During his appearances on EconTalk and Conversations with Tyler, Sumner has recommended and discussed several influential books that shaped his economic philosophy and his appreciation for literature. On EconTalk, Sumner recommended Paul Krugman's book Pop Internationalism, praising it for doing a very effective job of refuting common mercantilist economic ideas. In a separate appearance on Conversations with Tyler, Sumner discussed Mircea Cărtărescu's novel Solenoid, praising the immersive and expansive way the narrative opens up an entirely new world to the reader. He compared this mesmerizing reading experience to Karl Ove Knausgård's massive autobiographical novel My Struggle, noting that both works share a rare capacity to alter the reader's perspective. Through these recommendations and literary discussions, Sumner connects rigorous economic critique with sweeping, immersive contemporary fiction, demonstrating a broad intellectual curiosity that spans both the social sciences and complex modern literature.

Books recommended by Scott Sumner

Who said what is determined automatically. In hand-checked samples, at least 6% of mentions were credited to the wrong speaker — sometimes an interviewer’s line recorded as the guest’s, sometimes the reverse. Every entry below quotes the words and links to the episode, so you can check it.

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  1. Pop Internationalism

    Paul Krugman · Recommended · 1 episode

    Pop Internationalism by Paul Krugman is an influential collection of essays that critically examines popular misconceptions surrounding international trade and global economics.

    Recommended
    “uh I could Point people to Paul krugman's book pop internationalism which does a very effective job of um refuting many of these uh mercantilist ideas”
    EconTalk Why Industrial Policy Is (Almost) Always a Bad Idea (with Scott Sumner… 2024-12-09 Listen at 2:53
    Where to get it
    AmazonListen on Audible

  2. My Struggle

    Karl Ove Knausgård; Don Bartlett · Discussed · 1 episode

    My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgård, translated by Don Bartlett, is a massive, multi-volume autobiographical novel that chronicles the intimate and mundane details of the author's daily life.

    Discussed
    “And I found it kind of mesmerizing in a similar way to My Struggle by Knausgård in that sometimes you finish a novel and it's you know, okay, on to the next one. That was a nice novel. And then there's some novels where you feel like a whole world has been sort of opened up in front of you.”
    Conversations with Tyler Scott Sumner on Monetary Rules, Blooming Late, and the Death of Cinema 2025-01-08 Listen at 57:12
    Where to get it
    AmazonListen on Audible

  3. Solenoid

    Mircea Cărtărescu · Discussed · 1 episode

    Where to get it
    AmazonListen on Audible

Appearances

EpisodePodcastDateBooks
Scott Sumner on Monetary Rules, Blooming Late, and the Death of CinemaConversations with Tyler2025-01-082
Why Industrial Policy Is (Almost) Always a Bad Idea (with Scott Sumner)EconTalk2024-12-091