Yanis Varoufakis

A Number One Sunday Times Bestseller What happens when you take on the establishment? In Adults in the Room, the renowned economist and former finance minister of Greece Yanis Varoufakis gives the full, blistering account of his momentous clash with the mightiest economic and political forces on earth. After being swept into power with the left-wing Syriza party, Varoufakis attempts to renegotiate Greece's relationship with the EU--and sparks a spectacular battle with global implications. Varoufakis's new position sends him ricocheting between mass demonstrations in Athens, closed-door negotiations in drab EU and IMF offices, and furtive meetings with power brokers in Washington, D. C. He consults and quarrels with Barack Obama, Emmanuel Macron, Christine Lagarde, the economists Larry Summers and Jeffrey Sachs, and others, as he struggles to resolve Greece's debt crisis without resorting to punishing austerity measures. But despite the mass support of the Greek people and the simple logic of Varoufakis's arguments, he succeeds only in provoking the fury of Europe's elite. Varoufakis's unvarnished memoir is an urgent warning that the economic policies once embraced by the EU and the White House have failed--and spawned authoritarianism, populist revolt, and instability throughout the Western world. Adults in the Room is an extraordinary tale of brinkmanship, hypocrisy, collusion, and betrayal that will shake the global establishment to its foundations.

In this rousing book, he charts the absurdities that underpin calls for austerity, as well as his own battles with a bureaucracy bent on ignoring the human cost of its every action. Passionately outspoken and tuned to the voices of the oppressed, Varoufakis presents a guide to modern economics, and its threat to democracy, like no other.

En internasjonal bestselger fra en av Europas fremste økonomer. I denne boken tar Yanis Varoufakis et solid oppgjør med Europas økonomiske historie fra etterkrigstiden frem til i dag. Han gir en svært leseverdig og rystende fremstilling av mekanismene som ligger bak Europas spektakulære vekst og fall - og viser at årsakene til den økonomiske krisen i 2008 går langt dypere enn det vi blir ledet til å tro. Ifølge Varoufakis burde vi nå være alt annet enn lettet over at finanskrisen er over. Mens de rike fortsetter å gjøre som de vil, er det de fattige i de fattigste landene som må betale regningen for det som har vist seg å være et mislykket økonomisk prosjekt. Og som denne boken viser, er det heller ikke blitt gjort nok for å forhindre at en ny og verre krise kan oppstå i fremtiden. Og de svake lider det de må? er en uvurderlig guide til å forstå hva som står på spill i Europa i dag. Varoufakis gir ikke bare en svært overbevisende analyse av årsakene til finsanskrisen i 2008, han gir også konkrete forslag for hvordan vi kan unngå nye katastrofer i tiden som kommer.

A titanic battle is being waged for Europe's integrity and soul, with the forces of reason and humanism losing out to growing irrationality, authoritarianism, and malice, promoting inequality and austerity. The whole world has a stake in a victory for rationality, liberty, democracy, and humanism. In January 2015, Yanis Varoufakis, an economics professor teaching in Austin, Texas, was elected to the Greek parliament with more votes than any other member of parliament. He was appointed finance minister and, in the whirlwind five months that followed, everything he had warned about-the perils of the euro's faulty design, the European Union's shortsighted austerity policies, financialized crony capitalism, American complicity and rising authoritarianism-was confirmed as the "troika" (the European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund, and European Commission) stonewalled his efforts to resolve Greece's economic crisis. Here, Varoufakis delivers a fresh look at the history of Europe's crisis and America's central role in it. He presents the ultimate case against austerity, proposing concrete policies for Europe that are necessary to address its crisis and avert contagion to America, China, and the rest of the world. With passionate, informative, and at times humorous prose, he warns that the implosion of an admittedly crisis-ridden and deeply irrational European monetary union should, and can, be avoided at all cost.

En internasjonal bestselger fra en av Europas fremste økonomer. I denne boken tar Yanis Varoufakis - den tidligere greske finansministeren som i dag har blitt en global kjendis gjennom sin hardtslående kritikk av EUs og USAs politiske systemer - et solid oppgjør med Europas økonomiske historie fra etterkrigstiden frem til i dag. Varoufakis trekker inn sin egen erfaring som finansminister i et av landene som ble hardest rammet av finanskrisen i 2008. Med førstehånds informasjon gir han her en svært leseverdig og rystende fremstilling av mekanismene som ligger bak Europas spektakulære vekst og fall - og viser at grunnene til den økonomiske krisen går mye dypere enn det vi blir ledet til å tro. I følge Varoufakis burde vi nå være alt annet enn lettet over at finanskrisen er over: for det er ikke de fattige i de fattigste landene som har måttet betale regningen for det som har vist seg å være et mislykket økonomisk prosjekt, det har heller ikke blitt gjort noe for å forhindre at en ny og verre krise kan inntre i fremtiden. I det som fremstår som en uvurderlig guide til å forstå hva som skjer i Europa i dag, leverer Varoufakis ikke bare svært overbevisende analyse av det som førte til finsanskrisen i 2008, han gir også konkrete forslag til tiltak som kan forhindre nye katastrofer i tiden som kommer. «Hvis du noen gang har lurt på hva som står på spill i Europa, les Varoufakis» (Guardian) «Verdens mest interessante mann» (The economist) «En fortelling om hvordan kapitalens krefter har vunnet over felleskapets interesser ... visjonært» (The Times)

A spectre is haunting Europe - the spectre of failed capitalism. In this account of Europe's economic rise and catastrophic fall, the author pinpoints the flaws in the European Union's design - a design that was thought up after the Second World War, and is responsible for Europe's fragmentation and the resurgence of racist extremism.

A #1 Sunday Times bestseller [UK] A titanic battle is being waged for Europe's integrity and soul, with the forces of reason and humanism losing out to growing irrationality, authoritarianism, and malice, promoting inequality and austerity. The whole world has a stake in a victory for rationality, liberty, democracy, and humanism. In January 2015, Yanis Varoufakis, an economics professor teaching in Austin, Texas, was elected to the Greek parliament with more votes than any other member of parliament. He was appointed finance minister and, in the whirlwind five months that followed, everything he had warned about,the perils of the euro's faulty design, the European Union's shortsighted austerity policies, financialized crony capitalism, American complicity and rising authoritarianism,was confirmed as the troika" (the European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund, and European Commission) stonewalled his efforts to resolve Greece's economic crisis. Here, Varoufakis delivers a fresh look at the history of Europe's crisis and America's central role in it. He presents the ultimate case against austerity, proposing concrete policies for Europe that are necessary to address its crisis and avert contagion to America, China, and the rest of the world. With passionate, informative, and at times humorous prose, he warns that the implosion of an admittedly crisis-ridden and deeply irrational European monetary union should, and can, be avoided at all cost.

A titanic battle is being waged for Europe's integrity and soul, with the forces of reason and humanism losing out to growing irrationality, authoritarianism, and malice, promoting inequality and austerity. The whole world has a stake in a victory for rationality, liberty, democracy, and humanism. In January 2015, Yanis Varoufakis, an economics professor teaching in Austin, Texas, was elected to the Greek parliament with more votes than any other member of parliament. He was appointed finance minister and, in the whirlwind five months that followed, everything he had warned about- the perils of the euro's faulty design, the European Union's shortsighted austerity policies, financialized crony capitalism, American complicity and rising authoritarianism- was confirmed as the troika" (the European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund, and European Commission) stonewalled his efforts to resolve Greece's economic crisis. Here, Varoufakis delivers a fresh look at the history of Europe's crisis and America's central role in it. He presents the ultimate case against austerity, proposing concrete policies for Europe that are necessary to address its crisis and avert contagion to America, China, and the rest of the world. With passionate, informative, and at times humorous prose, he warns that the implosion of an admittedly crisis-ridden and deeply irrational European monetary union should, and can, be avoided at all cost.

"Maailmantalouden Minotauros" on jännityskertomus siitä, kuinka maailma vaelsi vuoden 1929 kriisistä vuoden 2008 romahdukseen. Sodan jälkeen Yhdysvallat nousi maailmanmahdiksi valtavilla ylijäämillään. Se nosti Saksan ja Japanin kasvuun ja pani Euroopan unionin alulle. 1970-luvulla sen ylijäämät vaihtuivat raskaiksi alijäämiksi, mutta silti se porskutti edelleen. Kuinka tämä oli mahdollista? Vastaus on Minotauros: rahoitussektorin hirviö synnytti nerokkaan järjestelmän, joka kierrätti koko maailman pääomat Yhdysvaltojen kautta. Näin Wall Street loi valtavat voitot, jotka se pian moninkertaisti yhä holtittomammalla arvopaperikaupalla kunnes Minotauros sortui vuonna 2008. Kuinka estää maailmaa ajautumasta yhä uusiin, yhtä typeriin kriiseihin? Teos on nautittava lukuelämys, jossa yhdistyvät loistelias tyyli, tarinaniskennän taito ja suvereeni asiantuntemus. Yanis Varoufakis on tunnustettu taloustieteilijä, DIEM25-demokratialiikkeen perustaja ja kiistelty Kreikan entinen valtiovarainministeri.

This volume is a collection of some of the best and most influential work of Yanis Varoufakis. The chapters all address the issue of economic indeterminacy, and the place of a socialized Homo Economicus within the economy. The book addresses Varoufakis’ key interpretation regarding the way in which neoclassical economics deals with the twin problems of complexity and indeterminacy. He argues that all neoclassical modelling revolves around three meta-axioms: Methodological individualism, Methodological instrumentalism and the Methodological Imposition of Equilibrium. Each chapter in preceded by an introduction, which explains its place within the overarching theme of the book. The volume also includes a lengthy introduction, plus a concluding chapter focusing on the future of economics. It will be a key work for all students and researchers in the field of political economy and economic methodology.

This volume is a collection of some of the best and most influential work of Yanis Varoufakis. The chapters all address the issue of economic indeterminacy, and the place of a socialized Homo Economicus within the economy. The book addresses Varoufakis’ key interpretation regarding the way in which neoclassical economics deals with the twin problems of complexity and indeterminacy. He argues that all neoclassical modelling revolves around three meta-axioms: Methodological individualism, Methodological instrumentalism and the Methodological Imposition of Equilibrium. Each chapter is preceded by an introduction, which explains its place within the overarching theme of the book. The volume also includes a lengthy introduction, plus a concluding chapter focusing on the future of economics. It will be a key work for all students and researchers in the field of political economy and economic methodology.

In this remarkable and provocative book, Yanis Varoufakis explodes the myth that financialisation, ineffectual regulation of banks, greed and globalisation were the root causes of the global economic crisis. Rather, they are symptoms of a much deeper malaise which can be traced all the way back to the Great Crash of 1929, then on through to the 1970s: the time when a 'Global Minotaur' was born. Just as the Athenians maintained a steady flow of tributes to the Cretan beast, so the 'rest of the world' began sending incredible amounts of capital to America and Wall Street. Thus, the Global Minotaur became the 'engine' that pulled the world economy from the early 1980s to 2008. Today's crisis in Europe, the heated debates about austerity versus further fiscal stimuli in the US, the clash between China's authorities and the Obama administration on exchange rates are the inevitable symptoms of the weakening Minotaur; of a global 'system' which is now as unsustainable as it is imbalanced. Going beyond this, Varoufakis lays out the options available to us for reintroducing a modicum of reason into a highly irrational global economic order. An essential account of the socio-economic events and hidden histories that have shaped the world as we now know it.

Once in a while the world astonishes itself. Anxious incredulity replaces intellectual torpor and a puzzled public strains its antennae in every possible direction, desperately seeking explanations for the causes and nature of what just hit it. 2008 was such a moment. Not only did the financial system collapse, and send the real economy into a tailspin, but it also revealed the great gulf separating economics from a very real capitalism. Modern Political Economics has a single aim: To help readers make sense of how 2008 came about and what the post-2008 world has in store. The book is divided into two parts. The first part delves into every major economic theory, from Aristotle to the present, with a determination to discover clues of what went wrong in 2008. The main finding is that all economic theory is inherently flawed. Any system of ideas whose purpose is to describe capitalism in mathematical or engineering terms leads to inevitable logical inconsistency; an inherent error that stands between us and a decent grasp of capitalist reality. The only scientific truth about capitalism is its radical indeterminacy, a condition which makes it impossible to use science's tools (e.g. calculus and statistics) to second-guess it. The second part casts an attentive eye on the post-war era; on the breeding ground of the Crash of 2008. It distinguishes between two major post-war phases: The Global Plan (1947-1971) and the Global Minotaur (1971-2008). This dynamic new book delves into every major economic theory and maps out meticulously the trajectory that global capitalism followed from post-war almost centrally planned stability, to designed disintegration in the 1970s, to an intentional magnification of unsustainable imbalances in the 1980s and, finally, to the most spectacular privatisation of money in the 1990s and beyond. Modern Political Economics is essential reading for Economics students and anyone seeking a better understanding of the 2008 economic crash.

Once in a while the world astonishes itself. Anxious incredulity replaces intellectual torpor and a puzzled public strains its antennae in every possible direction, desperately seeking explanations for the causes and nature of what just hit it. 2008 was such a moment. Not only did the financial system collapse, and send the real economy into a tailspin, but it also revealed the great gulf separating economics from a very real capitalism. Modern Political Economics has a single aim: To help readers make sense of how 2008 came about and what the post-2008 world has in store. The book is divided into two parts. The first part delves into every major economic theory, from Aristotle to the present, with a determination to discover clues of what went wrong in 2008. The main finding is that all economic theory is inherently flawed. Any system of ideas whose purpose is to describe capitalism in mathematical or engineering terms leads to inevitable logical inconsistency; an inherent error that stands between us and a decent grasp of capitalist reality. The only scientific truth about capitalism is its radical indeterminacy, a condition which makes it impossible to use science's tools (e.g. calculus and statistics) to second-guess it. The second part casts an attentive eye on the post-war era; on the breeding ground of the Crash of 2008. It distinguishes between two major post-war phases: The Global Plan (1947-1971) and the Global Minotaur (1971-2008). This dynamic new book delves into every major economic theory and maps out meticulously the trajectory that global capitalism followed from post-war almost centrally planned stability, to designed disintegration in the 1970s, to an intentional magnification of unsustainable imbalances in the 1980s and, finally, to the most spectacular privatisation of money in the 1990s and beyond. Modern Political Economics is essential reading for Economics students and anyone seeking a better understanding of the 2008 economic crash.

In recent years game theory has swept through all of the social sciences. Its practitioners have great designs for it, claiming that it offers an opportunity to unify the social sciences and that it it the natural foundation of a rational theory of society. Game Theory is for those who are intrigued but baffled by these claims, and daunted by the technical demands of most introductions to the subject. Requiring no more than simple arithmetic, the book: * Traces the origins of Game Theory and its philosophical premises * Looks at its implications for the theory of bargaining and social contract theory * Gives a detailed exposition of all of the major `games' including the famous `prisoner's dilemma' * Analyses cooperative, non cooperative, repeated, evolutionary and experimental games

In recent years game theory has swept through all of the social sciences. Its practitioners have great designs for it, claiming that it offers an opportunity to unify the social sciences and that it it the natural foundation of a rational theory of society. Game Theory is for those who are intrigued but baffled by these claims, and daunted by the technical demands of most introductions to the subject. Requiring no more than simple arithmetic, the book: * Traces the origins of Game Theory and its philosophical premises * Looks at its implications for the theory of bargaining and social contract theory * Gives a detailed exposition of all of the major `games' including the famous `prisoner's dilemma' * Analyses cooperative, non cooperative, repeated, evolutionary and experimental games

Foundations of Economics breathes life into the discipline by linking key economic concepts with wider debates and issues. By bringing to light delightful mind-teasers, philosophical questions and intriguing politics in mainstream economics, it promises to enliven an otherwise dry course whilst inspiring students to do well. The book covers all the main economic concepts and addresses in detail three main areas:* consumption and choice* production and markets* government and the State. Each is discussed in terms of what the conventional textbook says, how these ideas developed in historical and philosophical terms and whether or not they make sense. Assumptions about economics as a discipline are challenged, and several pertinent students' anxieties ('Should I be studying economics?') are discussed.

Foundations of Economics breathes life into the discipline by linking key economic concepts with wider debates and issues. By bringing to light delightful mind-teasers, philosophical questions and intriguing politics in mainstream economics, it promises to enliven an otherwise dry course whilst inspiring students to do well. The book covers all the main economic concepts and addresses in detail three main areas:* consumption and choice* production and markets* government and the State. Each is discussed in terms of what the conventional textbook says, how these ideas developed in historical and philosophical terms and whether or not they make sense. Assumptions about economics as a discipline are challenged, and several pertinent students' anxieties ('Should I be studying economics?') are discussed.