Economics for Everyone: A Short Guide to Capitalism

Economics for Everyone: A Short Guide to Capitalism

Jim Stanford, an economist in the research department of the Canadian Auto Workers, thinks economics is too important to be left to economists. So, he wrote this concise and readable book to provide nonspecialist readers with all the information they need to understand how capitalism works – and how it doesn’t.

This is an antidote to the abstract and ideological way that economics is normally taught and reported. Key concepts such as finance, competition and wage labor are explored, and their importance in everyday life is revealed. Stanford answers questions such as "What really happens on the stock market?" "Do workers need capitalists?" "Why does capitalism harm the environment?" He offers both a realistic assessment of capitalism’s strengths and a robust critique of its many failures.

This humorous, educational and well-illustrated book will appeal to those working for a fairer world and students of social sciences who need to engage with economics. The book is illustrated with funny and instructional cartoons by Tony Biddle and is supported with a comprehensive, free set of web-based course materials for popular economics courses. 350 pages paperback