The Economists' Hour

This thoroughly researched, comprehensive, and critical account of the economic philosophies that have reigned for the past half century powerfully indicts them. * Publisher Weekly (starred) *
A marvel of popular historical writing. * New York Times *
A highly readable, exhilaratingly detailed biographical account. * Sunday Telegraph *
That such sophisticated people presided over a dangerous build-up in financial risk suggests that something larger was at work than a naïve faith in markets. Appelbaum’s strength is that he generally acknowledges these complexities. * Atlantic *
The New York Times financial writer maps the advance of economists - from the Kennedy administration onward - out of the academy and into government, elevating free markets in the sausage - making of public policy and sparking the inequity that plagues us today. * O Magazine *
Lively and entertaining … The Economists’ Hour is a reminder of the power of ideas to shape the course of history. – Liaquat Ahamed * New Yorker *
“An entertaining and well-written look at how market-oriented ideas rose from the academy and transformed nations. – Tyler Cowen
Binyamin Appelbaum has written a powerful must-read for all those interested in reinvigorating the credibility of economics, especially in policymaking circles. – Mohamed A. El-Erian
Writing in accessible language of thorny fiscal matters, the author ventures into oddly fascinating corners of recent economic history … Anyone who wonders why government officials still take the Laffer curve seriously need go no further than this lucid book. * Kirkus *
A well-reported and researched history of the ways in which plucky economists helped rewrite policy in America and Europe and across emerging markets. * Economist *

Binyamin Appelbaum is a Washington correspondent for the New York Times, where he covers the Federal Reserve and other aspects of economic policy. Before joining the Times in 2010, he was a reporter at the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and the Charlotte Observer, where he was part of a team of reporters nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for coverage of the subprime-mortgage crisis.

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