23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism

On March 25th, the New America Foundation and the Center for Economic Policy and Research hosted Ha-Joon Chang as he discussed his latest book, 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism (Bloomsbury USA, January 2011).

With the help of the 'Dead Presidents' on U.S. currency, Walt Disney's Rescuers, an Indian bus driver named Ram, and sheep-burning French farmers, 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism tells the story of capitalism as it is and shows how capitalism as we know it can be, and should be, made better.

Ha-Joon Chang dispels some of the myths perpetuated by popular thought surrounding the ideal of capitalism, including the idea that people in rich countries are more entrepreneurial than poor people in poor countries, that making the rich richer makes everyone richer, or that there exists a truly “free” market.

Ha-Joon Chang teaches in the Faculty of Economics at the University of Cambridge. His books include the international bestseller Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism andKicking Away the Ladder, winner of the 2003 Myrdal Prize. In 2005, Chang was awarded the Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought.

Participants

Featured Speaker
Ha-Joon Chang
Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge
Author, Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism and Kicking Away the Ladder

Moderator
Michael Lind
Policy Director, Economic Growth Program
New America Foundation