How do you get your dinner? That is the basic question of economics. It might seem easy, but it is actually very complicated.
When Adam Smith proclaimed that all our actions were motivated by self-interest and the world turned because of financial gain he laid the foundations for ‘economic man’. Selfish and cynical, ‘economic man’ has dominated our thinking ever since, the ugly rational heart of modern day capitalism. But every night Adam Smith’s mother served him his dinner, not out of self-interest, but out of love.
Even today, the unpaid work of mothering, caring, cleaning and cooking is not part of our economic models. All over the world, there are economists who believe that if women are paid less, then that’s because their labour is worth less.
In this engaging, popular look at the mess we’re in, Katrine Marçal charts the myth of ‘economic man’, from its origins at Adam Smith’s dinner table to its adaptation by the Chicago School and finally its disastrous role in the 2008 Global Financial Crisis.
Katrine Marçal is a Swedish writer living in London. She’s presently the UK correspondent for Dagens Nyheter, Sweden’s most prestigious daily newspaper.
Her book, Who Cooked Adam Smith’s Dinner?(Swedish title ”Det enda könet”) was shortlisted for the August Prize in 2012. Her writing has appeared in Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, German and British publications. The book is now sold to 19 languages.
In 2013 she was awarded ‘Lagercrantzen’, a prestigous award sponsored by Dagens Nyheter, for writing in ”a bold and personal style that entices and challenges the reader with the audacity and intimacy of her intellectual landscape.”
A smart, funny readable book on money, economics [and] women.
Margaret Atwood via Twitter
Wittily written.
Publishers Weekly
A spirited and witty manifesto. Commanding rhetoric punctuated with spiky wit.
New Statesman
An exciting reassessment of the global economy that provocatively extends the frontiers of the feminist critique.
Kirkus Reviews
…sharp writing, numerous examples and familiar pop culture references (think Pretty Woman, Robinson Crusoe, and the goose that laid the golden egg), engaging and non-threatening (even for people who break into a sweat when trying to balance their checkbooks).
Pop Matters