Bleakonomics

This is a darkly humorous guide to the three great crises plaguing today's world: environmental degradation, social conflict in the age of austerity and financial instability.Rob Larson holds mainstream economic theory up against the grim reality of a planet in meltdown. He looks at scientists’ conclusions about climate change, the business world’s opinions about its own power, and reveals the fingerprints of finance on American elections.Through ascerbic analysis, Bleakonomics unveils a world of extreme inequality, confusion and insanity.

'A most valuable contribution to public understanding and vitally needed action', 'Larson adds a critical component to the policy debate about financial reform by explaining why the systemically dangerous institutions (SDIs) -- the 'too big to fail' banks -- imperil our democracy as well as our economy', 'Whether illuminating the rapacious class war being waged by America's CEOs, the remarkably mindless degradation of the world's oceans, or the wishful thinking about the increasingly evident consequences of global warming, Rob Larson consistently brings powerful insights and a biting wit. Larson has a unique skill for translating complex economic and scientific analysis with both clarity and force', 'Robert Larson's range of topics and accessible writing make this book an invaluable contribution to the critical task of connecting environmental degradation and overwhelming corporate power', 'Fact-driven, concise, interesting, and even funny -- that's unusual for a book about economics, policies, and working people'

Rob Larson teaches Economics at Tacoma Community College in Washington State, USA. He is active with Occupy Tacoma and Jobs with Justice, and writes regularly for Dollars and Sense and Z Magazine.