Simon Johnson has 4 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 4 narrators, with an average listener rating of 3.5★ across 2 ratings. The most-rated is 13 Bankers.
13 Bankers
Summary
Even after the ruinous financial crisis of 2008, America is still beset by the depredations of an oligarchy that is now bigger, more profitable, and more resistant to regulation than ever. Anchored by six megabanks, which together control assets amounting to more than 60 percent of the country's gross domestic product, these financial institutions (now more emphatically "too big to fail") continue to hold the global economy hostage, threatening yet another financial meltdown with their excessive risk-taking and toxic "business as usual" practices. How did this come to be - and what is to be done? These are the central concerns of 13 Bankers, a brilliant, historically informed account of our troubled political economy. Prominent economist Simon Johnson and James Kwak give a wide-ranging, meticulous, and bracing account of recent U.S. financial history within the context of previous showdowns between American democracy and Big Finance. They convincingly show why our future is imperiled by the ideology of finance (finance is good, unregulated finance is better, unfettered finance run amok is best) and by Wall Street's political control of government policy pertaining to it. The choice that America faces is stark: whether Washington will accede to the vested interests of an unbridled financial sector that runs up profits in good years and dumps its losses on taxpayers in lean years, or reform through stringent regulation the banking system as first and foremost an engine of economic growth. To restore health and balance to our economy, Johnson and Kwak make a radical yet feasible and focused proposal: reconfigure the megabanks to be "small enough to fail".
©2010 Simon Johnson and James Kwak (P)2010 Tantor
Great Leaders
Summary
Discover the lives of history’s greatest leaders. From statesmen to generals and presidents to PMs, this detailed book explores the lives and legacies of five of the world’s most famous and influential men. With a comprehensive account of their lives, achievements, philosophies and more, inside this bundle you’ll find: Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States and famous for his anti-slavery policy and leadership during the Civil War. Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister who stood up to Hitler and the Nazis, leading the UK to victory in World War II. George Washington, figurehead of America’s independence and one of the greatest military men of all time. Ulysses S. Grant, 18th president of the United States and General during the Civil War. With Lincoln, he helped secure a Union victory and defeat the Confederates. And Napoleon Bonaparte, one of history’s most ambitious rulers, famous for his role in the Napoleonic Wars and the French Revolution. History is filled with remarkable figures who have shaped the course of entire nations. From military masterminds to world leaders, this biography delves into the lives of these five extraordinary men and the achievements and legacies they leave behind. Great Leaders is a must-listen for anyone interested in politics, history, war, or leadership principles. Buy now to uncover the lives of these remarkable leaders today!
©2019 Flâneur Media (P)2019 Flâneur Media
White House Burning
Summary
America is mired in debt—more than $30,000 for every man, woman, and child. Bitter fighting over deficits, taxes, and spending bedevils Washington, D.C., even as partisan gridlock has brought the government to the brink of default. Yet the more politicians on both sides of the aisle rant and the citizenry fumes, the more things seem to remain the same. In White House Burning, Simon Johnson and James Kwak—authors of the national best seller 13 Bankers and cofounders of The Baseline Scenario, a widely cited blog on economics and public policy—demystify the national debt, explaining whence it came and, even more important, what it means to you and to future generations. They tell the story of the Founding Fathers’ divisive struggles over taxes and spending. They chart the rise of the almighty dollar, which makes it easy for the United States to borrow money. They account for the debasement of our political system in the 1980s and 1990s, which produced today’s dysfunctional and impotent Congress. And they show how, if we persist on our current course, the national debt will harm ordinary Americans by reducing the number of jobs, lowering living standards, increasing inequality, and forcing a sudden and drastic reduction in the government services we now take for granted. But Johnson and Kwak also provide a clear and compelling vision for how our debt crisis can be solved while strengthening our economy and preserving the essential functions of government. They debunk the myth that such crucial programs as Social Security and Medicare must be slashed to the bone. White House Burning looks squarely at the burgeoning national debt and proposes to defuse its threat to our well-being without forcing struggling middle-class families and the elderly into poverty. Carefully researched and informed by the same compelling storytelling and lucid analysis as 13 Bankers, White House Burning is an invaluable guide to the central political and economic issue of our time. It is certain to provoke vigorous debate.
©2012 Simon Johnson (P)2012 Random House
Jump-Starting America
Summary
The untold story of how America once created the most successful economy the world has ever seen and how we can do it again. The American economy glitters on the outside, but the reality is quite different. Job opportunities and economic growth are increasingly concentrated in a few crowded coastal enclaves. Corporations and investors are disproportionately developing technologies that benefit the wealthiest Americans in the most prosperous areas - and destroying middle-class jobs elsewhere. To turn this tide, we must look to a brilliant and all-but-forgotten American success story and embark on a plan that will create the industries of the future - and the jobs that go with them. Beginning in 1940, massive public investment generated breakthroughs in science and technology that first helped win WWII and then created the most successful economy the world has ever seen. Private enterprise then built on these breakthroughs to create new industries - such as radar, jet engines, digital computers, mobile telecommunications, life-saving medicines, and the internet - that became the catalyst for broader economic growth that generated millions of good jobs. We lifted almost all boats, not just the yachts. Jonathan Gruber and Simon Johnson tell the story of this first American growth engine and provide the blueprint for a second. It's a visionary, pragmatic, sure-to-be controversial plan that will lead to job growth and a new American economy in places now left behind.
©2019 Jonathan Gruber and Simon Johnson (P)2019 Hachette Audio