Books & ideas

2000 years of French Economy

Éric Monnet — 2025-06-03T12:58:37Z

Charles Serfaty presents an economic history of France that is both accessible to as many readers as possible and incorporates the contributions of recent academic research.

Brexit: Follow the Money

Alicia Mornington — 2023-12-28T09:30:00Z

Marlène Benquet and Théo Bourgeron believe that the root cause of Brexit can be found in a transformation of capitalism, which they say has shifted from a neo-liberal system to a libertarian and authoritarian model. But does this view not overlook the role of singular actors and the vagaries of history?

The Three Ages of Capitalism

Hervé Joly — 2023-03-28T08:24:00Z

The age of commerce, the age of the factory, the age of finance: for Pierre François and Claire Lemercier, the chronology of capitalism is the same all over the world.

Inequalities to the Beats of Financialization

Olivier Godechot — 2021-04-26T07:00:00Z

Financialization pervades all spheres of the economy today, but it is not a uniform and monolithic phenomenon. We need to carefully distinguish the different mechanisms by which it is deployed, in order to understand how it produces social inequalities.

On the Green Side

Editorial Team — 2019-07-29T07:00:00Z

Books & Ideas is slowing down for the summer. In the meantime, here is our weekly selection of reviews published over the past year.

Who Is Watching the Shadow Banks?

Andreas Eisl — 2019-06-06T07:00:00Z

Shadow banking refers to bank-like financial activities that do not fall under traditional regulations; they have been one of the root causes of the recent financial crisis. M. Thiemann identifies the structural causes for their rapid growth, and shows which institutional reforms could prevent the circumvention of regulations.

Activism in the Age of Financialization

Jacob Hamburger — 2019-05-13T06:00:00Z

By transforming capitalism, the hegemony of finance has created new sites of social struggle. How can citizens regain a form of collective agency in the speculative process? A new book by the philosopher Michel Feher imagines a politics capable of responding to the dominance of finance.

The Well-Kept Secrets of International Finance

Anne Monier — 2019-03-21T06:00:00Z

In her exploration of the world of wealth management, Brooke Harrington dives into the heart of capital globalization. As pillars in the structure of international finance, wealth managers help increase the capital of the wealthy by circumventing government regulations.

Green Money

Sébastien Duchêne — 2019-03-07T07:00:00Z

Socially responsible investment, green bonds, extra-financial rating agencies: ‘climate finance' has developed over the last few years. Without State involvement, will these tools suffice to finance the transition toward a carbon neutral global economy?

A Turbulent Decade

Matthew Soener — 2019-02-18T06:00:00Z

The 2008 financial crisis revealed significant frailties within global capitalism. How did the political response shape the ensuing decade? In his book, economic historian Adam Tooze narrates the key events over this period, from financial sector bailouts to geopolitical shifts worldwide.