The Nature of Economies
by Jane Jacobs
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 73)
Read in January, 2007
A fairly interesting approach to writing about a certain way to view economic structures, Jacobs invents a cast of characters (named, I have to assume, after dead 18th century English folks...plus a Kate. Or maybe these are common names in contemporary Toronto - the late Jacob's adopted hometown? I dunno.) in a series of dialogues, or rather, politely interrupted monologues offered up by some cat named Hiram to the perpetuity potentially offered by Armbruster's tape recorder (yeah, really). Oste...more
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Read in November, 2007
Surprisingly good. I normally have really negative things about almost every single book on Economics I've ever read (the curse of majoring in something I suppose), but this is really really good. I could have done without the conversational fiction, and would have loved some more robust explorations of the concepts but the concepts themselves make this book a must read. Really analytical, really scientifically minded. A real gem.
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Read in January, 2002
recommended to Trisha by:
Gaye Burpee
This book proves that economics is a beautiful, vital subject, not "the dismal science". It is a creative vision of the native beauty of a well-functioning market economy. It also addresses some common economic thinking of the last few decades and its practical impact on developing economies. (Particularly interesting is the author's take on Latin American economies and the World Bank's focus on agricultural exports in the 1980s.)
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Read in April, 2008
recommended to Ginna by:
NPR
I left this book in an airplane seatback pocket a couple of years ago. Enjoying it as I reread the first few chapters.
The character driven approach really worked for me to put together the strands of that I think is a fairly intricate economic/ecological theory. I enjoyed the narrative, thin as it was, and feel that I'm looking at the world in a different way -- seeing even more interrelatedness & value in diversity.
The character driven approach really worked for me to put together the strands of that I think is a fairly intricate economic/ecological theory. I enjoyed the narrative, thin as it was, and feel that I'm looking at the world in a different way -- seeing even more interrelatedness & value in diversity.
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recommended to Seth by:
B. F. Galbraith
recommends it for: everyone (this means YOU)
recommends it for: everyone (this means YOU)
Everybody reads Jane Jacobs' Systems of Survival and never gets around to reading The Nature of Economies. Don't be like them. Read this book.
Although the characters are less colorful and their actions less exciting than the first book, let's pretend that we are reading these dialogs for the ideas as well as the action.
Although the characters are less colorful and their actions less exciting than the first book, let's pretend that we are reading these dialogs for the ideas as well as the action.
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Honesty requires me to revise the number of stars down to one, and to move this to the booooo-ring shelf. I still would like to read her book about cities, but this one was a yawnfest from beginning to end. That device of putting assorted arguments into the mouths of invented characters soooooo doesn't work.
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Read in March, 2007
Jacobs through a masterful technique of dialog demonstrates her versatility in explaining the core principles of natural economies. It reinforces her deep understanding and provides a benchmark of what a vibrant economy is and isn't. Brilliant!!
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Read in September, 2006
well, Jane is great. and the writing style is a beautiful way to tell the story, i love it!
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