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Book 1: How the World Became Rich: The Historical Origins of Economic Growth
Faculty leader: Dr. J.C. Bradbury
Meeting dates: 2/12, 2/19, 2/26, 3/5
Meeting time: 12:20pm-1:10pm
Meeting location: Kennesaw Campus
Book description: Most humans are significantly richer than their ancestors. Humanity gained nearly all of its wealth in the last two centuries. How did this come to pass? How did the world become rich?
Mark Koyama and Jared Rubin dive into the many theories of why modern economic growth
happened when and where it did. They discuss recently advanced theories rooted in
geography, politics, culture, demography, and colonialism. Pieces of each of these
theories help explain key events on the path to modern riches. Why did the Industrial
Revolution begin in 18th-century Britain? Why did some European countries, the US,
and Japan catch up in the 19th century? Why did it take until the late 20th and 21st
centuries for other countries? Why have some still not caught up?
Koyama and Rubin show that the past can provide a guide for how countries can escape poverty. There are certain prerequisites that all successful economies seem to have. But there is also no panacea. A society’s past and its institutions and culture play a key role in shaping how it may – or may not – develop.
Book 2: Permissionless Innovation: The Continuing Case for Comprehensive Technological Freedom
Faculty leader: Dr. Steve Phelan
Meeting dates: 2/18, 2/25, 3/4
Meeting time: 12:30pm-1:45pm
Meeting location: Kennesaw Campus
Book description: Will innovators be forced to seek the blessing of public officials before they develop
and deploy new devices and services, or will they be generally left free to experiment
with new technologies and business models?
In this book, Adam Thierer argues that if the former disposition, “the precautionary principle,” trumps the latter, “permissionless innovation,” the result will be fewer services, lower-quality goods, higher prices, diminished economic growth, and a decline in the overall standard of living.
When public policy is shaped by “precautionary principle” reasoning, it poses a serious threat to technological progress, economic entrepreneurialism, and long-run prosperity. By contrast, permissionless innovation has fueled the success of the Internet and much of the modern tech economy in recent years, and it is set to power the next great industrial revolution—if we let it.
This new edition includes . . .
- Expanded case studies of major technological innovations, including commercial drones,
driverless cars, 3-D printing, virtual reality, the Internet of Things, and more
- A deeper exploration of modern tech critics and their rationales for holding back
technological innovation
- New discussion of “global innovation arbitrage”—that is, the ways in which innovators are now able to move around the globe in search of more hospitable regulatory environments
- An exploration of how the United States and Europe took different approaches to innovation
policy and the results
- A more detailed look at concerns about economic disruptions associated with new technologies,
such as robotics and automated systems
- An expanded policy recommendations section
Book 3: The Capitalist Manifesto: Why the Global Free Market Will Save the World
Faculty leader: Dr. Timothy Mathews
Meeting dates: 2/24, 3/3, 3/10, 3/17
Meeting time: 12:20pm-1:10pm
Location meeting: Kennesaw Campus
Book description: Marx and Engels were right when they observed in the Communist Manifesto that free
markets had in a short time created greater prosperity and more technological innovation
than all previous generations combined. A century and a half later, all the evidence
shows that capitalism has lifted millions and millions from hunger and poverty.
Today's story about global capitalism, shared by right-wing and left-wing populists,
but also by large sections of the political and economic establishment, does not deny
that prosperity has been created, but it says it ended up in far too few hands. This
in turn has made it popular to talk about the global economy as a geopolitical zero-sum
game, where we have to fight to control new innovations, introduce trade barriers
and renationalize value chains. While, more broadly, capitalism is accused of fueling
glaring inequality, populist revolts, climate change and China's global conquest.
In this incisive and passionate investigation, Johan Norberg instead states the case
for capitalism and the vital role played by the free market in today's uncertain world.
Ultimately, he argues that that a move away from global capitalism would not only
squeeze the growth out of the economy but also deepen an already large social exclusion
for the vulnerable - for the world's poor, it would be a killing blow.
Book 4: The Dispossessed: A Novel
Faculty leader: Dr. James Boudreau
Meeting dates: 3/19, 3/26, 4/2, 4/9
Meeting time: 12:20pm-1:10pm
Meeting location: Kennesaw Campus
Book description: The Dispossessed is the spellbinding story of anarchist Shevek, the “galactically famous scientist,” who single-handedly attempts to reunite two planets cut off from each other by centuries of distrust.
Anarres, Shevek’s homeland, is a bleak moon settled by an anarchic utopian civilization, where there is no government, and everyone, at least nominally, is a revolutionary. It has long been isolated from other worlds, including its mother planet, Urras—defined by warring nations, great poverty, and immense wealth. Now Shevek, a brilliant physicist, is determined to unify the two civilizations. In the face of great hostility, outright threats, and the pain of separation from his family, he makes an unprecedented trip to Urras. Greater than any concern for his own wellbeing is the belief that the walls of hatred, distrust, and philosophic division between his planet and the rest of the civilized universe must be torn down. He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and explore differences in customs and cultures, determined to tear down the walls of hatred that have kept them apart.
To visit Urras—to learn, to teach, to share—will require great sacrifice and risks, which Shevek willingly accepts. Almost immediately upon his arrival, he finds not the egotistical philistines he expected, but an intelligent, complex people who warmly welcome him. But soon the ambitious scientist and his gift is seen as a threat, and in the profound conflict that ensues, he must reexamine his beliefs even as he ignites the fires of change.
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