Articles by Geoffrey Wood
Book notes: The economic government of the world 1933–2023, by Martin Daunton
A deep dive into the politics, personalities, trade theory and trade practice of the era, but missing a crucial element: the collapse in the US stock of money
Book notes: Capital and ideology, by Thomas Piketty
A political pamphlet like Milton’s ‘Areopagitica’, but longer
Book notes: Austerity, by Alberto Alesina, Carlo Favero and Francesco Giavazzi
When it works and when it doesn’t; every chapter is thorough, informative and persuasive
Book notes: In the combat zone of finance, by Svein Harald Øygard
A fascinating and readable book for those charged with maintaining financial stability and interested in a new perspective on institutional efficiency
Debts, deficits, central banks and inflation
Forrest Capie and Geoffrey Wood ask what insights history can provide for central banks and governments managing abrupt, large increases in debt
Book notes: Finance and philosophy, by Alex J Pollock
A readable and useful book that provides much food for thought, and should be read widely by economists and policy-makers
Book notes: American default, by Sebastian Edwards
Edwards’ book is fascinating, well written and enjoyable, and provides an account of one of the US’s forgotten chapters of history
Book notes: Respectable banking, by Anthony Hotson
The author’s sensible goal of “respectable banking” is admirable, but the recommendations would not all help to achieve this
Book notes: Advice & Dissent: My Life in Public Service, by YV Reddy
An engaging look into the private life and career of a former governor of the Reserve Bank of India, and arguably one of the best central bankers of the twentieth century, YV Reddy
Book notes: Fed Up, by Danielle diMartino Booth
A “fascinating but annoying” account by a US Federal Reserve insider who openly criticises the culture of the US central bank and policy decisions made by the institution leading up to and following the financial crisis
Book notes: The curse of cash, by Kenneth S Rogoff
A well-written book and sincerely argued, but it is based on weak economic analysis and inadequate economic and political history