Economic globalisation and universal human rights both have the aspiration and power to improve and enrich individuals and communities. However, their respective institutions, methods, practices and goals differ, leading to both detrimental clashes and beneficial synergies. David Kinley analyses how human rights intersect with the trade, aid and commercial dimensions of global economic relations, taking the view that, while the global economy is a vitally important civilising instrument, it itself requires civilising according to human rights standards.

Multinational corporations have the potential to bring economic and social benefits to emerging economies, but also social and political upheaval that can suppress fundamental human rights. This book synthesizes views from multinational corporations and civil society groups to find areas of common ground and raise issues of future potential conflict.

When taxes are introduced on carbon and energy, and the revenue is used to reduce other taxes, will a positive effect be achieved both for the environment and for the economy? In 1990 Finland was the first country to introduce a tax on CO2. Later, Sweden, Denmark, Netherlands, Slovenia, Germany and the UK followed suit with tax reforms that shifted taxation from labour to carbon and energy. Over the years, CO2 and energy taxes have gradually been raised, so that in Europe taxes of more than 25 billion Euros a year have been shifted. This book examines carbon-energy taxation in detail and looks at tax shifting programmes for lowering other taxes.

Since economies are dynamic processes driven by creativity, social norms, and emotions as well as rational calculation, why do economists largely study them using static equilibrium models and narrow rationalistic assumptions? Economic activity is as much a function of imagination and social sentiments as of the rational optimisation of given preferences and goods. Richard Bronk argues that economists can best model and explain these creative and social aspects of markets by using new structuring assumptions and metaphors derived from the poetry and philosophy of the Romantics.

This review is being written from the perspective of someone who has studied economics for a lifetime and taught it to college students. I have come to realize that when an introduction to economics is presented as if it were designed to be the first course among many for economics majors, it is invariably deemed by most people to be quite boring. However, when economics is presented and explained as the study of how people make decisions in life, all of a sudden it becomes much more interesting. This book takes the second approach, and the author does a good job summarizing a variety of key concepts in short chapters of about eight pages each.