International Book Award 2020
THE WINNERS

getAbstract International Book Award 2020

“Good Economics For Hard Times”

Abhijit V. Banerjee & Esther Duflo
Public Affairs, 2020

Interview

“In Times of Confusion, It’s Crucial That the Message Gets Through.”
Abhijit V. Banerjee & Esther Duflo / Photo by Bryce Vickmark/MIT/UPI/laif
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“In Times of Confusion, It’s Crucial That the Message Gets Through.”

Nobel Laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit V. Banerjee on the surprisingly commonsensical nature of economics, and how COVID-19 will affect the global fight against poverty and the quality of economic policy.

Summary

Image of: Good Economics for Hard Times
Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo

Good Economics for Hard Times

Immigration and trade are important issues that need more than fractured politics and fact-free debates.

Public Affairs
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Authors

Bio

Abhijit V. Banerjee is a Nobel laureate, and the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Author

Bio

Esther Duflo is a Nobel laureate, and the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics in the Department of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Publisher Quotes

Jury Vote

"In Good Economics for Hard Times, MIT-economists Esther Duflo and Abhijit V. Banerjee discuss the major societal issues facing humanity – migration, inequality, climate change, democratic recession – along with some economic key concepts such as free trade or the growth imperative. Migration leads to wage dumping? No evidence. Free trade automatically leads to more growth? Nope. On each of the major issues, the 2019 Nobel Laureates expose false statements, myths and popular ideological misconceptions – to counter with surprising empirical data. This pleasingly sober approach alone would be worthy of an award. But the fact that the book also makes exciting and well-founded suggestions for solutions, and is understandable even to non-experts, makes it one of the two best books of the year."- Andreas Neisser, Jury Member

“Think Outside the Building”

Rosabeth Moss Kanter
Public Affairs, 2020

“Passivity Is Depressing, Activity Is Energizing.”
Rosabeth Moss Kanter / Photo: Jason Grow
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“Passivity Is Depressing, Activity Is Energizing.”

The doyenne of leadership experts, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, on the importance of advanced leadership in times of crisis, more diversity at the executive level, and the need to reinvent institutions.

Summary

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Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Think Outside the Building

Solving today’s complex social problems requires a new skill: “advanced leadership.”

Public Affairs
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Author

Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Bio

Rosabeth Moss Kanter holds the Ernest L. Arbuckle Professorship at Harvard Business School, specializing in strategy, innovation, and leadership for change. Her strategic and practical insights guide leaders worldwide.

She is the author of World Class and Confidence

Jury Vote

"Rosabeth Moss Kanter's book Think Outside the Building inspires readers with the 'optimism of activism.' We already have the leaders we need to solve the world's most pressing problems, the distinguished Harvard professor says – we just need more of them. Since no single institution is in charge of society's most complex issues, they require clever, creative and courageous problem solvers who build bridges and don't let institutional barriers hold them back. Kanter's hopeful book is a passionate and inspiring call to think in larger dimensions, consider more voices, tackle problems from various angles and dare to think big." – Haike Finch-Schattka, Jury Member

READERS’ CHOICE AWARD

For the 20th Anniversary Edition of the Award, You Have Cast Your Votes

“Subtle Acts of Exclusion”

Tiffany Jana & Michael Baran
Berrett-Koehler, 2020

“If a Diversity Expert Can Fail So Epically, Anyone Can.”
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“If a Diversity Expert Can Fail So Epically, Anyone Can.”

Tiffany Jana and Michael Baran on subtle acts of exclusion, how to recognize them, how to avoid them and how to deal with them proactively – on both sides of a conversation.

Image of: Subtle Acts of Exclusion
Tiffany Jana and Michael Baran

Subtle Acts of Exclusion

An inclusive corporate culture fosters greater collaboration, productivity, happiness and connection.

Berrett-Koehler Publishers
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Author

bio

Tiffany Jana is the CEO of TMI Portfolio, a collection of companies working to advance inclusive workplaces. TMI Consulting, a TMI Portfolio company, is a 2018 Best for the World B Corporation.

Jana is also the coauthor of Overcoming Bias and the second edition of the B Corp Handbook 

 

Author

bio

Michael Baran is a social scientist and senior partner and digital solutions lead at inQUEST Consulting. He has taught at Harvard University and worked as a principal researcher at the American Institutes for Research. 

BACKGROUND

History & Decision Making Process

Since 2001, the getAbstract International Book Award has been presented annually to books that make a particularly important contribution to current economic, social and business-related topics. In this anniversary year, the prize is awarded symbolically through a series of interviews and digital events. 

Recent Winners
Discover the winners of the last 20 years of the getAbstract International Book Award. 

The Selection Criteria
The Selection Criteria

Discover how our jury narrowed down over 10,000 recent releases to just 10 finalists, before selecting the shortlist – and finally the winners.

THE NOMINEES

Further Nominated Titles in 2020

“Capital and Ideology”

Thomas Piketty
Belknap Press, 2020

Summary

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Thomas Piketty

Capital and Ideology

According to economist Thomas Piketty, all regimes try to legitimize inequality through ideology.

Belknap Press
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Author

Bio

Thomas Piketty is Director of Studies at L’École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) in Paris and Professor at the Paris School of Economics.

He is the author of Capital in the Twenty-First Century.

Photo: Vincent Muller/laif

“Capitalism, Alone”

Branko Milanović
Belknap Press, 2019

Interview

“Lack of Competition Generates Hubris…”
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“Lack of Competition Generates Hubris…”

…and unfortunately, this also applies to the economic system the world largely adopted and is now relying on: capitalism. The world’s leading inequality scholar, Branko Milanović talks about global income disparities, resurgent ideologies and the most promising strategies for dealing with both.

Summary

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Branko Milanović

Capitalism, Alone

Global convergence has now made it a capitalist’s world, but political approaches differ.

Belknap Press
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Author

Bio

Branko Milanović is a Serbian-American economist. He is a visiting presidential professor at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and Centennial Professor at the International Inequalities Institute, LSE. 

He is the author of Global Inequality.

“Hidden Hand”

Clive Hamilton & Mareike Ohlberg
Hardie Grant, 2019

Interview

“Our Level of Knowledge About China Is Not Sufficient”
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“Our Level of Knowledge About China Is Not Sufficient”

China is systematically trying to expand its influence in the world. China expert Mareike Ohlberg – co-author of Hidden Hand – Exposing How the Chinese Communist Party Is Reshaping the World – speaks of infiltration. In this interview, she explains the methods Beijing is using and why the West must react.

Summary

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Mareike Ohlberg and Clive Hamilton

Hidden Hand

China is no friend of the West, and it has no intention of changing its ruthless ways.

Hardie Grant Publishing
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Authors

Bio

Clive Hamilton is Professor of Public Ethics at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics and the Vice-Chancellor's Chair in Public Ethics at Charles Sturt University. He is the Founder and former Executive Director of The Australia Institute.

Author

Bio

Mareike Ohlberg is a senior fellow in the Asia Program of the German Marshall Fund. She previously worked at the Mercator Institute for China Studies. Her articles have been published in the New York Times, Foreign Affairs and Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

“Narrative Economics”

Robert J. Shiller
Princeton University Press, 2019

Summary

Image of: Narrative Economics
Robert J. Shiller

Narrative Economics

Want to understand the economy? Forget the numbers; listen to the stories instead.

Princeton UP
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Interview

“Public Attention Is Not Awarded Rationally. It Has To Be Carried by a Story”
Robert J. Shiller, Kai Nedden/laif
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“Public Attention Is Not Awarded Rationally. It Has To Be Carried by a Story”

In his new book, economist and Nobel laureate Robert Shiller argues that he and his fellow dismal scientists need to look beyond the usual data point: Stories are what really drive decisions to spend, save or speculate.

Author

Bio

Robert J. Shiller is a Nobel Prize–winning economist and Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University. His other titles include Phishing for Phools and Animal Spirits (with George A. Akerlof). He is a regular contributor to the New York Times.

“No Filter”

Sarah Frier
Simon & Schuster, 2020

Summary

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Sarah Frier

No Filter

Instagram began as a place for artistic expression, but Facebook’s acquisition led to immense changes and corporate turmoil.

Simon & Schuster
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Author

Bio

Sarah Frier reports on social media companies for Bloomberg News out of San Francisco. Her award-winning features and breaking stories have earned her a reputation as an expert on how Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter make business decisions that affect their future and our society. 

“The Price of Peace”

Zachary D. Carter
Random House, 2020

Summary

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Zachary D. Carter

The Price of Peace

A detailed, compassionate and sophisticated biography of economics titan John Maynard Keynes.

Random House
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Author

Bio

Zachary D. Carter is a senior reporter at HuffPost, where he covers Congress, the White House, and economic policy. He is a frequent guest on cable news and news radio, and his written work has also appeared in The New Republic, The Nation, and The American Prospect, among other outlets.

“The Rules of Contagion”

Adam Kucharski
Profile Books, 2020

Summary

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Adam Kucharski

The Rules of Contagion

It’s hard to predict how fast and far an outbreak will spread because each outbreak is unique.

Profile Books
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Author

Bio

Adam Kucharski is an associate professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, working on global outbreaks such as the Ebola epidemic and the Zika virus. He is a TED fellow and the author of The Perfect Bet: How Science and Maths Are Taking the Luck Out of Gambling.

Photo: Tom Jamieson/laif