Catholic/Christian economists and authors?

[Writer_for_God]

Hi,
I am wondering if anyone could make recommendations for Catholic/Christian economists or economic authors, and any good books on the subject of economics from a Catholic or even wider Christian perspective. I am aware of many Catholic social encyclicals and documents, but I would like to read some professional economic writers who have views which would be consistent with Catholic teachings, and the teaching of Christ in general.
Thank you for any names or suggestions for books on this subject.
God bless you. Amen.

 

[Erikaspirit16]

Well, there’s lots. But I would start with John Kenneth Galbraith: maybe The Affluent Society or Economics and the Public Purpose. His son, James Galbraith, is also an economist (at the U. of Texas), and he shares his fathers views and has written several books: Created Unequal, Inequality and Instability.

Although he’s not an economist per se, although he has an MA in economics from the London School of Economics, try Michael Lewis. His claim to fame is that he was a stock broker. He he writes clearly about complicated subjects. He wrote Moneyball, for example. But I would recommend The Big Short over his others. It’s about the financial crisis of 2008, and of course was made into a recent movie with Steve Carrell. I’d read the book, then see the movie. Flash Boys is a more recent book about another Wall Street problem.

On the international, you could always read Susan George, How the Other Half Dies: The Real Reasons for World Hunger.

In my opinion, the difference between “conservative” economists (von Mises, Hayek, et al.) and “liberal” economists (Galbraith et al.) is that the former are, fundamentally, talking about institutions and “human nature” (which of course they define in their own way). “Liberal” economists tend to think more about actual people and how various economic policies affect them.

 

[StJoseph8]

I have an introduction to philosophy by Douglas Mcmanaman who I believe goes on EWTN sometimes. He recommended two books by Thomas Sowell: his Basic Economics and another one I forgot.

Another one is John Mueller. He has a book called Redeeming Economics that I just ordered. It looked very interesting. I haven’t started it yet but I can let you know what I think later.

 

[Writer_for_God]

Well, there’s lots. But I would start with John Kenneth Galbraith: maybe The Affluent Society or Economics and the Public Purpose. His son, James Galbraith, is also an economist (at the U. of Texas), and he shares his fathers views and has written several books: Created Unequal, Inequality and Instability.

Although he’s not an economist per se, although he has an MA in economics from the London School of Economics, try Michael Lewis. His claim to fame is that he was a stock broker. He he writes clearly about complicated subjects. He wrote Moneyball, for example. But I would recommend The Big Short over his others. It’s about the financial crisis of 2008, and of course was made into a recent movie with Steve Carrell. I’d read the book, then see the movie. Flash Boys is a more recent book about another Wall Street problem.

On the international, you could always read Susan George, How the Other Half Dies: The Real Reasons for World Hunger.

In my opinion, the difference between “conservative” economists (von Mises, Hayek, et al.) and “liberal” economists (Galbraith et al.) is that the former are, fundamentally, talking about institutions and “human nature” (which of course they define in their own way). “Liberal” economists tend to think more about actual people and how various economic policies affect them.

Thank you for the suggestions. I have actually read many of John Kenneth Galbraith’s books, including the ones you mentioned, and I have also read a few of Michael Lewis’s books, including Liar’s Poker and The Big Short.
I will check out the other authors you mentioned.
Thanks again for the suggestions.

 

[Writer_for_God]

I have an introduction to philosophy by Douglas Mcmanaman who I believe goes on EWTN sometimes. He recommended two books by Thomas Sowell: his Basic Economics and another one I forgot.

Another one is John Mueller. He has a book called Redeeming Economics that I just ordered. It looked very interesting. I haven’t started it yet but I can let you know what I think later.

Thank you for the suggestions. I actually have a copy of Sowell’s “Basic Economics” but I lent it to my brother who is reading it now, so I will have to wait until he finishes it to read it myself… There are a lot of books by Sowell which I would like to read.

I will have to check out the book by Mueller. Thank you for recommending it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thank you for the suggestions. I actually have a copy of Sowell’s “Basic Economics” but I lent it to my brother who is reading it now, so I will have to wait until he finishes it to read it myself… There are a lot of books by Sowell which I would like to read.

I will have to check out the book by Mueller. Thank you for recommending it.

“Redeeming Economics” is a fantastic book. The best “Catholic economics” book I have ever read. Very scholarly, and that’s its only “fault”. He has a great number of charts and mathematical formulae in the book. You can understand without having to learn the math, and the graphs are a bit hard to follow, but the prose is excellent and very clear. Much of it is very eye-opening, and it’s all consistent with Church teaching.

By way of a small example of information: Capital’s share of national income is about 1/3; labor’s is 2/3. That’s always true, and has been since 1929 when the government first started keeping records. They go up and down together in numbers, but the shares almost never change. Labor gets a little more when employment is full, a little less when unemployment is high. There are reasons for all of that, and he explains what they are. But until I read the book, I didn’t know any of that.

I have read and re-read parts of it many times. There is a lot in it, and if one forgets something, one can always go back to the book for it.

Which one is inclined to do. He talks about nearly every school of economics, their merits and faults. That can get a bit hard to remember now and then.

I bought one a couple of Christmases ago for each of my adult children.