The Best Books of 2012 on Economic, Social, and Environmental Subjects

Turner makes the case that growth should not be sought as an end in itself in rich countries. Rather, the focus should be on creating economic freedom and making possible a wide range of employment opportunities.

Sharp increases in food prices in 2008 and again in 2012 reminded the world that food security cannot be taken for granted, especially for poor people. Can adequate food supplies be assured? Conway answers with a qualified yes.

In this engaging book, Janeway, a venture capitalist who trained as an economist, combines his academic erudition with lessons learned during 40 years of working in the financial sector. His novel argument is that financial bubbles can be expected to occur from time to time in modern economies and that on balance they contribute to positive economic transformations by financing new technologies, even though many of them inevitably prove to be false starts or dead ends.