shopping cart
Save up to 30% on our Staff Picks
Call us: 800-878-7323 HELP
McAfee SECURE helps keep you safe from identity theft, credit card fraud, spyware, spam, viruses and online scams.
Powell's Q&A, Q&A | December 10, 2009

Sam Stephenson: IMG Powell's Q&A: Sam Stephenson

0 comments By Sam Stephenson

Describe your latest book/project/work. I've been studying the life and work of photographer W. Eugene Smith for 13 years. My first book (Dream... Continue »
  1. $28.00 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

    The Jazz Loft Project: Photographs and Tapes of W. Eugene Smith from 821 Sixth Avenue, 1957-1965

    Sam Stephenson and W. Eugene Smith
Ships free on qualified orders.
Add to Cart
$42.25
New Trade Paper
Ships in 1 to 3 days
Add to Wishlist
available for shipping or prepaid pickup only
Available for In-store Pickup
in 7 to 12 days
Qty Store Section
25 Remote Warehouse Economics- General
Used Book Alert Receive an email when this ISBN is available used.

More copies of this ISBN:

Debunking Economics: The Naked Emperor of the Social Sciences

by Steve Keen

Debunking Economics: The Naked Emperor of the Social Sciences Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

What is the score card for economics at the start of the new millennium? While there are many different schools of economic thought, it is the neo-classical school, with its alleged understanding and simplistic advocacy of the market, that has become equated in the public mind with economics. This book shows that virtually every aspect of conventional neo-classical economics' thinking is intellectually unsound. Steve Keen draws on an impressive array of advanced critical thinking. He constitutes a profound critique of the principle concepts, theories, and methodologies of the mainstream discipline. Keen raises grave doubts about economics' pretensions to established scientific status and its reliability as a guide to understanding the real world of economic life and its policy-making.

Review:

"... this book is a unique and valuable resource." — The Ecologist

Synopsis:

What is the score card for economics at the start of the new millennium? While there are many different schools of economic thought, it is the neo-classical school, with its alleged understanding and simplistic advocacy of the market, that has become equated in the public mind with economics. This book shows that virtually every aspect of conventional neo-classical economics' thinking is intellectually unsound. Steve Keen draws on an impressive array of advanced critical thinking. He constitutes a profound critique of the principle concepts, theories, and methodologies of the mainstream discipline. Keen raises grave doubts about economics' pretensions to established scientific status and its reliability as a guide to understanding the real world of economic life and its policy-making.

back to top

About the Author

Steve Keen is Senior Lecturer in Economics and Finance, University of Western Sydney.

back to top

Table of Contents

No More Mr. Nice Guy * The Totem of the Econ Tribe * The Calculus of Hedonism * The Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing * A Totem in Tatters * Size Does Matter * A Totem in Tatters Two * To Each According to His Contribution * A Capital War of the Worlds * There is Madness in their Method * Lets Do the Time Warp Again * The Sum of the Parts * The Price is Not Right * Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only the Piano * Nothing to Lose but their Minds * There are Alternatives

No More Mr. Nice Guy * The Totem of the Econ Tribe * The Calculus of Hedonism * The Price of Everything and the Value of Nothing * A Totem in Tatters * Size Does Matter * A Totem in Tatters Two * To Each According to His Contribution * A Capital War of the Worlds * There is Madness in their Method * Lets Do the Time Warp Again * The Sum of the Parts * The Price is Not Right * Don’t Shoot Me, I’m Only the Piano * Nothing to Lose but their Minds * There are Alternatives


back to top

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!
Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
chuck willer, October 3, 2008 (view all comments by chuck willer)
Keen reviews the full set of issues that are problematic to neoclassical economics. Given the current economic crisis his book is highly relevant. Why was Congress repeatedly reassurred that the economy was sound when things were obviously not. Keen provides insights into the mathematical and assumptive foundation of mainstream economics which explains many of the blinders economists wear.

Econophysist Joe McCauley posted the following review of Keen's book on the Econophysics Forum:
"This book provides a far more clear explanation of the ideas of standard economic theory (neo-classical economics) than do the standard texts (compare with Samuelson, Mankiw, or Barro, e.g.). The book explains utility maximization, indifference curves, and the assumptions underlying the standard economic model that is used by the IMF, the World Bank and all major western governments. Keen uses simple language that even the lay person can follow. The text should be standard reading for every student of elementary economics, but even an experienced economist like Alan Greenspan might benefit from the clarity of thought displayed therein. Macroeconomic theory is covered from the right perspective, from the result of Sonnenshein et all which shows the basis in microeconomic theory for the standard macroeconomic model. Kirman is mentioned but his seminal connection of liquidity demand with uncertainty is not discussed. The work of Radner should have been included, but then Samuelson and Varian do not discuss Radner's contribution either.Chapter 7 presents the correct perspective on general equilibrium theory, with good advice for students of econ 101.Chapter 8 on Keynes is outstanding, presenting the clearest (and even correct!) textbook discussion of Keynes that I am aware of. Marx's contribution to the basis of capitalism, the recognition of the central role played by the profit motive, is also made apparent in the Keynsian context. The profit motive is ignored completely in Samuelson and the other standard texts, which discuss merely pure barter economies and leave out financial markets altogether. Hicks' interpretation of Keynes' ideas is also correctly presented. All in all, students of economics would be well advised to make Keen's book their main econ text. "
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No
(1 of 2 readers found this comment helpful)
report this comment
back to top

Product Details

ISBN:
9781856499927
Subtitle:
The Naked Emperor of the Social Sciences
Author:
Keen, Steve
Publisher:
Pluto Press (Australia)
Location:
New York
Subject:
History
Subject:
Economics
Subject:
Economic Policy
Subject:
Economics - Theory
Edition Description:
Trade Paper
Publication Date:
February 2002
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
Professional and scholarly
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Y
Pages:
335
Dimensions:
9.25 x 6.13 in
back to top

Other books you might like

  1. $13.95 New Trade Paper add to wish list

    Propaganda

    Jacques Ellul
  2. $25.95 New Hardcover add to wish list

    Naked Economics

    Charles Wheelan
  3. $10.50 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Five Decades, Poems 1925-1970

    Pablo Neruda
  4. $19.95 New Trade Paper add to wish list

    Hawks From Every Angle

    Jerry Liguori
  5. $8.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    Kingbird Highway: The Story of a Natural Obsession That Got a Little Out of Hand

    Kenn Kaufman
  6. $10.95 Used Trade Paper add to wish list

    The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen's Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear

    Paul Rogat Loeb
back to top

Related Aisles

  • back to top

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.