Book Reviews

Our book reviews are designed to assist people in deciding what they should read.

These comprise a mix of recently published books and books published over the course of the last thirty years or so which we think should not be forgotten. We review books focused on issues ranging from economic history and management practices to theology and pragmatic business concerns.

We generally do not review books that may be regarded as “classics” (on the basis that they are already well known) or books that are aimed solely at an academic or other specialist audience (since our aim is to assist the non-specialist who want seriously to think through current issues).

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Edward Carter: ‘The Economics of the Parables’ by Robert Sirico

In The Economics of the Parables, Robert Sirico explores the economic and commercial setting of many of Jesus’s parables, considering the universal economic assumptions at play within the stories themselves with a view to enriching the reader’s engagement with them, but without trying to use the parables as the basis for instruction about economic policy or business practice.

Neil Jordan: ‘Is Your Work Worth It? How to Think About Meaningful Work’ by Christopher Wong Michaelson and Jennifer Tosti-Kharas

In Is Your Work Worth It? Christopher Wong Michaelson and Jennifer Tosti-Kharas address the question of what makes work worthwhile, rather than specifically meaningful – meaningful work being the subject of their book in this area (The Meaning and Purpose of Work). Naturally, the meaningfulness or otherwise of work is considered in this volume, but […]

Richard Godden: ‘Good Company: Economic Policy after Shareholder Primacy’ by Lenore Palladino

Good Company seeks to propose policies for reorienting corporations away from shareholder primacy and toward innovation, but the book does little to connect shareholder primacy with a lack of innovation or provide evidence of the efficacy of the author’s proposed policies.

Jan Bentz: ‘Adam Smith Reconsidered: History, Liberty, and the Foundations of Modern Politics’ by Paul Sagar

Adam Smith Reconsidered offers an ambitious reinterpretation of Adam Smith’s intellectual legacy, challenging prevailing accounts and obliging us to rethink long-standing assumptions about Smith’s political philosophy.

Andrea Soberg: ‘Religion in a Changing Workplace’ by Elaine Howard Ecklund, Denise Daniels, and Christopher P. Scheitle

Based on research conducted by a team of academics, Religion in a Changing Workplace considers the impact of allowing employees to demonstrate their faith at work, discussing advantages, challenges and possible results for organisations.

Edward Carter: Economics for Ecclesiastics: A Guide, edited by Martin Schlag and Giuseppe Schlitzer

Matthew Lynn: ‘Richer and More Equal: A New History of Wealth in the West’ by Daniel Waldenström

Contrary to the claims of the liberal-left about dramatic inequality and the need for greater taxation in order to prevent societal disintegration, as Daniel Waldenström makes clear in this timely new book, we have, in fact, been getting both richer and more equal - and could continue to do so.

Neil Jordan: ‘The Meaning and Purpose of Work’ by Christopher W. Michaelson and Jennifer Tosti-Kharas

The Meaning and Purpose of Work examines the different levels at which work takes place, its various intrinsic and extrinsic rewards and societal value as determinants of its meaningfulness, always with an eye on the question of why it is that we work.

Michael Severance: ‘Rethinking Subsidiarity: Multidisciplinary Reflections on the Catholic Social Tradition’ edited by Martin Schlag and Boglárka Koller

In Rethinking Subsidiarity, scholars engage with a series of applied questions, exploring the notion of subsidiarity – central to Catholic social teaching – and stressing that it should not be considered an absolute, but rather requires constant prudence.

Andrew Packman: ‘Scarcity: A History from the Origins of Capitalism to the Climate Crisis’ by Fredrik Albritton Jonsson and Carl Wennerlind

In Scarcity, Fredrik Albritton Jonsson and Carl Wennerlind set out a comparison of ideas about the use of natural resources and economic organisation, but the treatment of material is at times superficial and opportunities to engage with important contemporary debates are missed.