In recent years, the consensual view of rural society has been challenged by theorists identifying the conflict, exploitation, and power relations in rural society. Beyond this theoretical challenge, empirical studies of the sociology of agriculture have provided a fresh understanding of the dynamics of U.S. agriculture. This book contributes to the growing literature by providing a historical perspective. The contributors explore historical developments in U.S. agriculture within the cont...

American agriculture has undergone dramatic transformations in the four decades that have passed since the end of World War II. The most obvious is the decline in the number of people living and working on farms. Wisconsin generally reflects many of these national trends. In 1945 the agricultural census reported 177,745 farms in Wisconsin. By 198

From renowned economist Thomas Sowell, an indispensable examination of widespread economic fallacies**"From one of America's most noted conservative economists, a short, original book that offers some unconventional ideas about how to think about common economic topics." ―**Baltimore SunIn Economic Facts and Fallacies, Thomas Sowell exposes some of the most popular fallacies about economic issues in a lively manner that do...

Unmasking the Truth about Tax CutsIn this essential essay, Thomas Sowell, with his trademark independent-minded approach, challenges the prevailing narratives surrounding tax cuts and "trickle-down" economics. He argues that this often-used term is a distorted simplification, obscuring the nuanced reality of how tax policy impacts economic activity. Sowell provides a clear-eyed perspective, grounded in historical analysis, that will reshape your understanding of pr...

One of the most significant works of economic theory ever written, from the "outstanding [and] unfailingly enlightening" Milton Friedman ( Newsweek).One of Time magazine's All-Time 100 Best Nonfiction BooksOne of Times Literary Supplement's 100 Most Influential Books Since the WarOne of National Review's 100 Best Nonfiction Books of the CenturyOne of Intercollegiate Studies Institute's 50 Best Books of the 20t...

In the debris of the financial crash of 2008, the principles of John Maynard Keynes -- that economic storms are a normal part of the market system, that governments need to step in and use fiscal ammunition to prevent these storms from becoming depressions, and that societies that value the pursuit of money should reprioritize -- are more pertinent and applicable than ever. In Keynes: The Return of the Master, Robert Skidelsky brilliantly synthesizes Keynes career and life, and of...

In the graveyard of economic ideology, dead ideas still stalk the land.The recent financial crisis laid bare many of the assumptions behind market liberalism--the theory that market-based solutions are always best, regardless of the problem. For decades, their advocates dominated mainstream economics, and their influence created a system where an unthinking faith in markets led many to view speculative investments as fundamentally safe. The crisis seemed to have killed off these id...

In the graveyard of economic ideology, dead ideas still stalk the land. The recent financial crisis laid bare many of the assumptions behind market liberalism--the theory that market-based solutions are always best, regardless of the problem. For decades, their advocates dominated mainstream economics, and their influence created a system where an unthinking faith in markets led many to view speculative investments as fundamentally safe. The crisis seemed to have killed off these id...

The years since World War II have seen rapid shifts in the relative positions of different countries and regions. Leading political economist Mancur Olson offers a new and compelling theory to explain these shifts in fortune and then tests his theory against evidence from many periods of history and many parts of the world.[T]his elegant, readable book. . . sets out to explain why economies succumb to the British disease,’ the kind of stagnation and demoralization that is now ...

A comprehensive survey of capitalism's colonialist roots and uncertain futureThose who control the world’s commanding economic heights, buttressed by the theories ofmainstream economists, presume that capitalism is a self-contained and self-generating system.Nothing could be further from the truth. In this pathbreaking book—winner of the Paul A. Baran-Paul M.Sweezy Memorial Award—radical political economists Utsa Patnaik and Prabhat Patnaik arg...

Milton Friedman is one of the most famous economists in history. His writings and theories on everything from capitalism and freedom to deregulation and welfare have inspired movements, influenced government policies, and changed the course of America’s economic history.Now, acclaimed Friedman biographer Dr. Lanny Ebenstein brings together twenty of Friedman’s greatest essays in his new book, The Indispensable Milton Friedman: Essays on Politic...

The all-encompassing embrace of world capitalism at the beginning of the twenty-first century was generally attributed to the superiority of competitive markets. Globalization had appeared to be the natural outcome of this unstoppable process. But today, with global markets roiling and increasingly reliant on state intervention to stay afloat, it has become clear that markets and states aren't straightforwardly opposing forces.In this groundbreaking work, Leo Panitch and Sam Gindin...