The Rise and Fall of Nations – Forces of Change in the Post–Crisis World - Hardcover

Sharma, Ruchir

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0393248895 ISBN 13: 9780393248890

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 2016

Synopsis

Shaped by his twenty-five years traveling the world, and enlivened by encounters with villagers from Rio to Beijing, tycoons, and presidents, Ruchir Sharma's The Rise and Fall of Nations rethinks the "dismal science" of economics as a practical art. Narrowing the thousands of factors that can shape a country's fortunes to ten clear rules, Sharma explains how to spot political, economic, and social changes in real time. He shows how to read political headlines, black markets, the price of onions, and billionaire rankings as signals of booms, busts, and protests. Set in a post-crisis age that has turned the world upside down, replacing fast growth with slow growth and political calm with revolt, Sharma's pioneering book is an entertaining field guide to understanding change in this era or any era.

A Library Journal Best Book of 2016

About this title

About the Author

Ruchir Sharma penned the international bestseller Breakout Nations and is a contributing op-ed writer at the New York Times. His commentary has also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Foreign Affairs, and other publications. He is chief global strategist at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, based in New York.

From the Back Cover

Praise for Ruchir Sharma and Breakout Nations

One of Bloomberg's 50 Most Influential People of 2015 and Foreign Policy's Top Global Thinkers of 2012.

"The best book on global economic trends I've read in a while."--Fareed Zakaria

"Sharma's wealth of knowledge ... and ample experience on the ground are strong foundations for his exploration of what makes economies break out, or break down."-- Reuters

"For sheer readability and insight on the developing world drama, I dare say you won't find a better choice."-- Wall Street Journal

"Combines keen on-the-ground reporting and economic and investment analysis with lively, lucid prose."-- Forbes

"Smart geoeconomic insights."-- Foreign Policy

"Prescient."--Washington Post

"I love this book. It really snuck up on me. It will sneak up on you too."--Tom Keene, Bloomberg TV

From the Inside Flap

The crisis of 2008 ended the illusion of a golden era in which many people imagined that prosperity and political calm would continue to spread indefinitely. In a world now racked by slowing growth and mounting unrest, how can we discern which nations will thrive and which will fail?

Shaped by prize-winning author Ruchir Sharma's twenty-five years travelling the world, The Rise and Fall of Nations rethinks economics as a practical art. By narrowing down the thousands of factors that can shape a country's future, it spells out ten clear rules for identifying the next big winners and losers in the global economy.

Each rule looks at a nation's political, economic, and social conditions in real time to filter out the hype and noise. 'People Matters' shows how slow population growth is eroding economic growth, and ranks nations by how well they respond. The 'circle of life' describes the way cycles of political complacency and revolt fuel economic booms and bust. Amid growing tensions over inequality, 'Good Billionaires, Bad Billionaires' demonstrates how billionaire lists yield clues to which economies are most or least threatened by extreme wealth. In a period when the world is struggling with trillions of dollars in new debt, the 'Kiss of Debt' explains which nations are most likely to avert this threat or buckle under it.

Together, the ten rules are instructive for anyone who wants to know which nations are most likely to rise or fall in our own time. The final chapter takes the reader on a surprising world tour of the likely winners and losers in the near future. Enlivened by Sharma's encounters with presidents, tycoons, and villagers from Rio to Beijing, this book is a pioneering field guide to understanding our impermanent world.

Edition details

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0393248895
• ISBN 13: 9780393248890
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 480