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Bettering Humanomics

A New, and Old, Approach to Economic Science
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( 25 ratings, 7 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
In Bettering Humanomics, Deirdre Nansen McCloskey challenges the prevailing economic paradigms that prioritise institutional observation over genuine understanding of human behaviour. Drawing inspiration from figures like Adam Smith, Vernon Smith, and Bart Wilson, she advocates for an economics that embraces the complexity of human action beyond simplistic behavioural models. The book critiques mainstream economists such as Samuelson and Stiglitz for overlooking scientific rigour in their focus on systemic imperfections, and calls for a renewed empirical approach rooted in historical and ethical contexts to foster material and spiritual betterment globally.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This insightful and erudite examination will appeal primarily to economists, academics, and students interested in economic theory, history, and philosophy. It is well-suited for those seeking a deeper understanding of human-centred economics and alternatives to conventional behavioural or neo-institutional approaches.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Deirdre Nansen McCloskey's latest meticulous work examines how economics can become a more "human" science.

Economic historian Deirdre Nansen McCloskey has distinguished herself through her writing on the Great Enrichment and the betterment of the poor—not just materially but spiritually. In Bettering Humanomics she continues her intellectually playful yet rigorous analysis with a focus on humans rather than the institutions.

Going against the grain of contemporary neo-institutional and behavioural economics which privilege observation over understanding, she asserts her vision of “humanomics,” which draws on the work of Bart Wilson, Vernon Smith, and most prominently, Adam Smith. She argues for an economics that uses a comprehensive understanding of human action beyond behaviourism.

McCloskey clearly articulates her points of contention with believers in “imperfections,” from Samuelson to Stiglitz, claiming that they have neglected scientific analysis in their haste to diagnose the ills of the system. In an engaging and erudite manner, she reaffirms the global successes of market-tested betterment and calls for empirical investigation that advances from material incentives to an awareness of the human within historical and ethical frameworks.

Bettering Humanomics offers a critique of contemporary economics and a proposal for an economics as a better human science.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Bookseller praises it as a meticulous work paving the way for an economics centred on people, not just observation. The Enlightened Economist highlights McCloskey's extraordinary breadth of knowledge and acknowledges her as a credible critic. Other reviewers commend the book's compelling argument for merging rigorous economics with humanistic perspectives, emphasising that economic agents are driven by more than just utility maximisation.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780226826516

Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 05 June 2023

Country: United States

Imprint: University of Chicago Press

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 13.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 227g

Pages: 144

About the Author

Deirdre Nansen McCloskey is distinguished professor emerita of economics and of history and professor emerita of English and of communication, at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She is the author of two dozen books including Leave Me Alone and I’ll Make You Rich, The Bourgeois Virtues, Bourgeois Dignity, Bourgeois Equality, Crossing: A Transgender Memoir, and Economical Writing.

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