We Need to Talk About Inflation, Stephen D. King
We Need to Talk About Inflation, Stephen D. King
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

We Need to Talk About Inflation
14 Urgent Lessons from the Last 2,000 Years

Author: Stephen D. King

Narrator: Jonathan Cowley

Unabridged: 6 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Ascent Audio

Published: 05/30/2023


Synopsis

A myth-busting explanation of inflation, the desperate gullibility of central bankers and finance ministers—and our abject failure to learn from history

From investors and monetary authorities to governments and policy makers, almost everyone had assumed inflation was dead and buried. But now people the world over are confronting a poisonous new economic reality and, with it, the prospect of vast and increasing wealth inequality.

How have we arrived in this situation? And what, if anything, can we do about it?

Celebrated economist Stephen D. King—one of the few to warn ahead of time about the latest inflationary upheaval—identifies key lessons from the history of inflation that policy makers chose not to heed. From ancient Rome through the American Civil War and up to the asset bubbles of today, inflation stems from policy error, sovereign greed, and a collective loss of faith in currencies.

We Need to Talk About Inflation cuts through centuries of bad judgment and misunderstanding, offering a means to intervene now—so we can begin to tackle the political and social upheaval unleashed by inflation.

About Stephen D. King

Stephen D. King is senior economic adviser at HSBC, is a columnist for the Evening Standard, and has also been a specialist adviser to the House of Commons Treasury Committee. He is the author of Losing Control, When the Money Runs Out, and Grave New World.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Richard on March 08, 2025

An easy and useful read for non-economists. The professional benefits as well in learning how to communicate complex topics in simple and straightforward prose.......more

Goodreads review by Andreas Schorling on July 31, 2023

Why is inflation such a bad thing? Many people conflate inflation with the cost of living and are hostile to it because of the effect a rising price level. Germany famously suffered a terrible hyperinflation in 1922–1923, with a monthly inflation rate of 322 percent. Yet, remarkably, German real inc......more

Goodreads review by David on June 13, 2023

A very relevant book to understand the current global inflationary surge. Building on the history of inflation and its relationship with money, the author looks at the temptation of printing money, how inflation has undemocratic effects and why it is so difficult to reduce. The author proposes 4 tests......more

Goodreads review by Monica on March 08, 2025

Took me ages to get through this relatively small book due to the factual and academic nature of the writing (there are a couple graphs and formulations in certain sections). There is nothing new to learn here if you're already clued into matters of politics and economics or a consumer of Richard J.......more

Goodreads review by Harrison on June 23, 2024

Found this in the library search function when I was looking for the novelist Stephen King (who you've probably seen me reading lately). This is a modern (Jan 2023) look at the economic crisis facing us in the West. I feel that King did an expert job explaining the situation and the outlook, and hist......more