Penguin Business snaps up Angner's 'groundbreaking' economics book

Penguin Business has snapped up the “groundbreaking and uplifting” book Why Economics Can Save the World by Professor Erik Angner.

Martina O’Sullivan, publisher at Penguin Life and Penguin Business, bought world rights to Why Economics Can Save the World: Simple Ideas to Solve Our Biggest Problems from Jaime Marshall at J P Marshall Literary Agency. Rights have been sold in China and Japan so far. A publication date has not yet been revealed.

The publisher explained: “The challenges of the 21st century are immense: climate change, global poverty and inequality being just the most pressing. But, Professor Erik Angner of Stockholm University argues, we have everything we need to make our vision of a better world a reality. Economics can save the world.

“This ground-breaking, uplifting new book will help readers think like economists to improve the lives of everyone around them. Find out how you can promote happiness, fix housing and public services and improve parenting, using the ideas of some of the world’s most original economists.”

Angner is professor of practical philosophy at Stockholm University with dual PhDs in economics and philosophy of science. Formerly he was an associate professor at George Mason University, where he also served as director of the philosophy, politics, and economics program. During this tenure he wrote what is now the bestselling behavioural economics text for students worldwide.

He said: “It is such a pleasure to be working with the excellent team at Penguin Business on this project. Contrary to its reputation, economics has always been about making the world a more livable place—a place more fit for human flourishing. I want to show that economics offers not just analyses of what’s gone wrong—but workable solutions to fix our problems too.”

O’Sullivan added: “I’m thrilled to be publishing Erik’s accessible and illuminating book. Each chapter will show readers how they can take on one of the world’s most pressing problems in a methodical yet fun and creative way.”