The Skyscraper Curse


The Skyscraper Curse: And How Austrian Economics Predicted Every Major Economic Crisis of the Last Century
by Mark Thornton

This book covers three primary topics: Austrian Business Cycle Theory, Cantillon Effects, and the Skyscraper Curse. The common thread is the economic havoc caused by artificially low interest rates, including price inflation and greater economic inequality.

The author also sheds light on the dominating force funding economics research in the United States, presumably controlling the narrative and suppressing dissenting analysis.

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When More Is Not Better: Overcoming America’s Obsession with Economic Efficiency


When More Is Not Better: Overcoming America’s Obsession with Economic Efficiency
by Roger L. Martin

Roger Martin, dean of the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto from 1998 to 2013, writes about a fragile imbalance in the U.S. economy and the erosion of the middle class. Major themes include efficiency vs. resilience, reductionist thinking vs. complex adaptive systems, and gaming the system. He cites examples of companies where an obsession with efficiency was catastrophic, and conversely, where slack is the secret sauce. He offers policy solutions in such areas as antitrust, taxation, stockholder voting rights, and education.

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