Edible Economics: A Hungry Economist Explains the World – Chang Ha-Joon (2023)

Economic thinking about globalisation, climate change, immigration, austerity, automation and much more is presented in an accessible form through stories about food from around the world. Ha-Joon Chang argues that, just as a varied diet is more interesting and balanced, we need to listen to a variety of economic perspectives rather than accept a single free-market philosophy. Drawing on the histories of familiar foods, including where they come from, how they are prepared and what they mean to different cultures, he explores economic theory and its impact on everyday life. Chocolate leads to insights into post-industrial knowledge economies, while okra illuminates capitalism’s complicated relationship with freedom and unfreedom. As he discusses the hidden cost of care work and the misleading language of the free market alongside dishes such as anchovy and egg toast, gambas al ajillo and Korean dotori mook, Chang serves up a feast of ideas. Witty and thought-provoking, the book suggests that understanding the economy is like learning a recipe: once we understand it, we can change it and, with it, the world.