Have you ever puzzled over the causes of the 2007-8 financial crisis and wondered how it will
affect all our futures? If so this book is for you. Using imagined dialogue between three
economists with contrasting theoretical perspectives and a student who knows little about
economics different interpretations are compared in straightforward jargon-free language. The
book explores both the consequences of neoliberal economic policies based on the belief in
efficient self-regulating markets and the implications of alternative economic visions
formulated in response to the Great Recession. In all nine dialogues are presented each of
which focuses on a key theme: increasing inequality the failure of economists to predict the
crash the reasons for fiscal austerity the rolling back of the welfare state the roles of
the state and the market the repercussions of the German trade surplus and the Eurozone crisis
policies to confront the crisis environmental degradation and the need for an industrial
policy appropriate to the present day. The book will be ideal for both general readers and
those embarking on the study of economics.
