IONA Reads
IONA Reads is a collection of books and novels recommended by University of British Columbia Faculty, as well as IONA’s very own editors. We hope these reads can broaden your perspectives, deepen your comprehension, and give you a greater appreciation for economics as a discipline.
Faculty Bookshelf
Dr. Mauricio Drelichman, International Economics
Much like Waiting for Godot, Steppe explores themes like a longing for meaning, isolation, patience, and general absurdity through a young officer by the name of Giovanni Dorgo, who persistently awaits an attack by the Tartars in an abandoned base in the middle of the desert. Whereas Professor Drelichman will be reading this 1940 Italian novel in its original language, you can find the postmodern classic online in its english translation as well.
After 40 years of working as one of London's top neurosurgeons, Oxford Philosophy graduate Henry Marsh reflects on the imponderables of his craft. From being responsible for death and life, to building both literal and metaphorical log cabins, follow a carefully attuned thinker through this not so often walked trail.
A memoir written in the profession most familiar with holding life in their own hands, Gabriel Weston illuminates the more humane characteristics of her colleagues. Discussing the body's fragility, uncertainty, and her works' humor alongside its heartbreak, Weston tackles what it's like to be female in a male-dominated career, to speak with patients knowing their likely to die, and to confront one's own doubts about a job centered around risking someone else's life.
Amazon's 2014 Best Book of the Year and Celeste Ng's debut novel portrays the turmoil of a mixed-race Chinese-American family suffering from the loss of one of their daughters. Everyone finds different ways to cope with tragedy, and the members of this family are no exception. Ng went through four drafts of this novel over the course of six years before publishing.
Originally published in 1985, Margaret Atwood has become an icon for feminism and her book has percolated discussions concerned with the rights of women in controlling their own bodies. The Handmaid's Tale has sold millions of copies in dozens of languages, been adapted for the big screen, small screen, and the opera, and is sure to please.
Dr. Eagle Glassheim, History
Cotton was (and still is) a quintessential global commodity, intimately woven into the history of modern capitalism. But as Beckert points out, we tend to ignore the moral economy of a material like cotton that has become detached from its origins. The cotton economy of the nineteenth century reinvigorated American slavery, transformed agriculture in the colonial world, and recast global industry and finance, not to mention fashion and consumption. We eat, drink, dress, and drive on top of hidden chains of commodities like cotton. This book teaches us where to look and what to look for.
Fiction, funny, food, Vancouver. Get outside, read this entertaining send-up of Vancouver foodie culture on a park bench by English Bay, sipping your latte, lulled by the lapping waves and hum of in-line skates. It’s not all fun and games, though. There’s a murder, homelessness, and expensive real estate too. Beyond its compelling narrative, Taylor’s novel is a thoughtful exploration of the intersection of local and global culture and capital in Vancouver.
In the Age of Trump, history matters more than ever. Snyder draws on his extensive research on Nazi and Soviet totalitarianism to advise fellow citizens on how to recognize and counter authoritarian politics. This is a quick read, but sobering. Our democracies are more fragile than we like to think.
Dr. Margaret Schabas, Philosophy
To what extent does numerical analysis line up with empirical events in the social sciences? How much of the conclusions we draw from quantitive experiments are because of human judgement and not simply mathematics? These, and more, are the questions Boumans addresses in this seminal book that highlights major issues faced by social scientists.
Hausman argues for a stronger critique of welfare theory reliant on preference calculus which is, in turn, reliant terms like "choice" and "self-interest." By placing rational choice theory within a larger backdrop of philosophical accounts on human action, Hausman explores preferences by deconstructing the models and theories Economists have long been using in order to clarify the discussion's talking points.
Dr. Ashok Kotwal, Economics
If biology sets the limits for human activity, culture: the activity itself, and history recounts the development of such activity, how do you explain how culture today was influenced by yesterday's history? Using a timeline stretching before 70,000 BCE, Harari makes a well-developed case for the role of human imagination in delegating human activity around cooperation instead of competition. In addition, he addresses a few potential consequences for the future.
"Homo Deus" literally translates to "Human God." This is the central of topic of Harari's sequel bestselling book. Humans have long survived on this planet by forming common identities such as communities, countries, or even along political divides we look to these groupings to find strength in number. Harari concludes that the consequences of these groupings could be search for immortality and greater power. The crux of the plot is driven by humanity's tendency to place humans at the centre of existence writ large.
Nice Guys Finish First (a BBC Documentary Series) is Richard Dawkins' 1986 rebuttal to misinterpretations of his best-selling book “The Selfish Gene.” Being consistent with Professor Kotwal's general theme, Dawkins makes the argument that evolution tends to favour acts of cooperation over competition. That this was the ultimate takeaway from having a selfish gene. To make it clear, Dawkins illustrates the importance of "reciprocal altruism," whereby organisms sacrifice parts of their "fitness" today, to increase the fitness of an other, with the expectation that their act will be rewarded somewhere down the line.
Editors’ Picks
In this book, renowned economist Thomas Sowell breaks down the disparities in outcomes between groups across domains of American life ranging from post-secondary education to the labour market. Drawing on a wealth of empirical evidence, his work argues for the importance of multiple channels, including historical discrimination and behavioural differences across groups, in explaining why outcomes differ between groups denoted by race and sex.
Originally a reporter for the <i>Globe and Mail</i> who covered multiple conflicts in the Middle East, El Akkad's debut novel is his imagination of a second American Civil War that broke out due to the country's irreconcilable ideologies. His story focuses on a young girl who becomes radicalized during the war after the death of her family. El Akkad's story is a harrowing vision on the long-term effects of political polarization.
One of the classic "textbooks" of development economics, Why Nations Fail explores some of the key variables that determine a nation's development, through historical evidence and a variety of case studies. It's required reading for anyone wanting to think about the underlying causes of poverty and wealth, and what we can do about them.
From Bernoulli to Laplace, and even Pascal, bestseller Mlodinow discusses the importance of randomness by linking theoretical mathematics with practical experiences like political polling. In light of historical understandings, this book provides a sought after interpretation of why things look like they go wrong.
An introductory economics book that seeks to showcase how economics influences everyday life, using relatable examples to convey economic theory from the sunk cost fallacy to moral hazard.
Journalist Christopher Leonard explores the consolidation of America's meat industry and the influence of its major corporations, specifically Tyson Foods, that shut out all competition to monopolize the meat industry.
One of The Economist's best books of the year for 2015, Misbehaving tells the story of the maturation and acceptance of behavioural economic theory, that reminds economists of the reality of our marketplace: we humans aren't always rational actors.
A touching story about a surgeon faced with his own mortality. For those looking to explore questions of fate, value, and decision-making, definitely check out this breathtaking read.
Amartya Sen is one of the foremost theorists in the field of development economics. His idea of development as the acquisition of freedom for all people (freedom from poverty, freedom from oppression, freedom from illiteracy) is a great framework for thinking through effective intervention in poorly-performing countries. What exactly are we aiming to accomplish? What means are reasonable and empowering? Sen's ideas will hopefully give us the tools necessary to answer such questions.
In this iconic bestseller, Nobel Laureate Daniel Kahneman expounds his "prospect theory," which pits his work against Bernouli's Utility Theory. In order to do so, he takes his readers on a sweeping tour of the hidden processes and biases of human judgement. He concludes with a striking dichotomy in the mind that is sure to keep you interested.
A classic — it’s Freakonomics! Check out this fascinating read that demonstrates the breadth of questions that can be answered using the tools of economics.
This is undoubtedly of the most influential marketing books of the past decade, with lessons beyond marketing. Exploring the psychological phenomena that affect human decision-making, this book illuminates the interactions that we have on a daily basis, and offers tools to influence our part of the world.