Summer Reading List, with Richard Haass, Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Keyu Jin, and more.

From airplane to beach and everywhere in between, these books – recommended by PS contributors – will inform, entertain, and inspire you. [View this message in a web browser]( This week, we present our annual Read More summer special. From airplane to beach and everywhere in between, the books below – recommended by PS contributors – will keep you informed, entertained, and inspired all summer long. [Read the feature](. [The Resilient Society]( By Markus Brunnermeier [Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg]( says: “Demands for resilience began to dominate economic and political discussions during the COVID-19 pandemic, and gained further momentum after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Yet there is a startling lack of any rigorous conceptual treatment of resilience in the economics literature. Brunnermeier makes important progress on this front, first by defining 'resilience,' which he contrasts with 'robustness.' One analogy was particularly illuminating: whereas the robust oak can withstand many shocks, but breaks in extreme circumstances; the resilient reed sways in the wind, but does not break. Brunnermeier also provides a clear conceptual framework. While he does not offer concrete policy recommendations, this book remains a must-read for those seeking a rigorous understanding of resilience as it applies to social science.” [India is Broken: A People Betrayed, Independence to Today]( By Ashoka Mody [Shashi Tharoor]( says: “Princeton economist Ashoka Mody offers a detailed, richly resourced, and highly readable study of India’s economy since the end of colonial rule. He is unsparingly critical of every Indian leader, from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi, and paints a vivid picture of millions of Indians struggling with high unemployment and living on the margins of a society where public goods are lacking and institutions are woefully ineffective. His arguments will not be universally endorsed, but they offer a sobering corrective to some of the current hype about the world’s fastest-growing major economy.” [PS. Subscribe to PS Premium to receive your copy of PS Quarterly: At Arms]( [The Lost Kingdom: The Quest for Empire and the Making of the Russian Nation]( By Serhii Plokhy [Sergei Guriev]( says: “Given the events of 2022, I would strongly recommend this 2017 book, which documents – with many interesting and instructive details – how Russia’s imperial myth has been constructed over many centuries, in particular the last 200 years. It highlights, for example, how Russian and Soviet history books taught successive generations to look down on neighbors like Ukraine. For those who are wondering how the invasion of Ukraine became possible, and how to end Russian imperialism, Plokhy’s book offers evidence-based answers.” [The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism]( By Martin Wolf [Chris Patten]( says: “I strongly recommend this book by one of the leading British commentators of the last few years, whose writing for the Financial Times covers much more than day-to-day economics. Here, Wolf brings together his sensible thoughts about the mistakes governments have made in managing capitalism in recent years, and the relationship between those errors and the emergence of threats to liberal democracy. He reminds us of the importance of giving everyone an opportunity to live a decent life. We should remember the [wise counsel]( of Alexis De Tocqueville: ‘the most imperious of all necessities’ is ‘that of not sinking in the world.’” [The Rise and Fall of the Neoliberal Order: America and the World in the Free Market Era]( By Gary Gerstle [William H. Janeway]( says: “If you did not pick up this important book last September, when I wrote an [in-depth review]( of it for Project Syndicate, you should now. Gerstle provides the rich historical context – including its ideological and political dimensions – needed to understand how democratic capitalism reached a breaking point in the UK and the US, represented by the Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s election, respectively. The book’s central analytical theme is how a political program becomes a political “order” when the opposition accepts its terms as defining the available policy space. Just as Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s administration accepted the principal components of Democratic President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s New Deal in the 1950s, the administrations of Democrats Bill Clinton and Barack Obama accepted many of the terms of Ronald Reagan’s “revolution” a generation later. The 2008 global financial crisis catalyzed the demise of the neoliberal order, which, as Gerstle puts it, has now ‘fallen apart,’ leaving national governments challenged to find politically legitimate responses to the polarization and economic dysfunction left behind.” [PS Read More: Most recommended reads of 2022]( Don't miss PS contributors' most recommended reads of 2022, featuring Nouriel Roubini, Stephen S. Roach, Angela Huyue Zhang, and more. [Read now](. [What Universities Owe Democracy]( By Ron Daniels [Richard Haass]( says: “This book, written by the president of Johns Hopkins University, makes a compelling case for universities not only to offer civics education to their students, but even to require it as a condition of graduation. Daniels accuses universities of failing to meet their social obligations, and he has the courage to take on some sacred cows, including legacy admissions for the children of graduates – a practice that perpetuates class division in the US. This book had more than a little impact on my own thinking and writing.” [Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology]( By Chris Miller [Harold James]( says: “This is an instant classic. It traces the semiconductor industry’s long history, starting in the 1950s, and examines the changing facets of leadership. In particular, it describes how the US regained the technological lead from Japan after the 1980s. Miller provides a convincing study of the interplay between innovation, government sponsorship, and government demand, and delivers insights into how a globally crucial industry can thrive in a small economy (Taiwan). The book highlights the obvious vulnerabilities that Taiwan’s dominance in chip production creates, and gives a powerful sense of the extreme lumpiness of the investment (meaning that it is difficult to liquidate), while reminding readers that world-spanning advanced technology is never captured or controlled by one country. Miller began as an expert on Soviet economic development, and his analysis of that topic underscores the incapacity of government planning, on its own, to alter the terms of technological rivalry.” [Plunder: Private Equity’s Plan to Pillage America]( By Brendan Ballou [Simon Johnson]( says: “This book offers a brilliant explanation of how and why private equity destroys companies and jobs, while creating vast wealth for its principals. Ballou brings to bear his experience at the US Department of Justice and provides the kind of dispassionate analysis one would expect of a top legal expert, while weaving in stories that are compelling, well-documented, and full of human interest. He concludes by proposing thoughtful remedies that should become national priorities. Unfortunately, the powerful political influence of private equity is certain continue to impede progress.” [PS. Subscribe to PS Digital now.]( [The Hell of Good Intentions: America’s Foreign Policy Elite and the Decline of US Primacy]( By Stephen M. Walt [Keyu Jin]( says: “Walt offers a convincing explanation of why US foreign policy, designed to spread liberal democracy, has been flawed and costly. The book’s argument is straightforward: since the end of the Cold War, US leaders have consistently exaggerated threats from global adversaries, and policies aimed at advancing a grand vision of American exceptionalism have repeatedly failed. As a result, the US has incurred large economic and reputational costs – far larger than most Americans seem to realize.” [On Consolation: Finding Solace in Dark Times]( By Michael Ignatieff [Joseph S. Nye, Jr.]( says: “This book explores how humans have dealt with the aftermath of tragedy and sorrow – the kinds of experiences that could challenge our faith in humanity – across civilizations and centuries. Combining history and philosophy, Ignatieff highlights traditions of consolation worth reviving in this uncertain century.” Project Syndicate publishes and provides, on a not-for-profit basis, original commentary by the world's leading thinkers to more than 500 media outlets in over 150 countries. This newsletter is a service of [Project Syndicate](. [Change your newsletter preferences](. Follow us on [Facebook]( [Twitter]( and [YouTube](. © Project Syndicate, all rights reserved. [Unsubscribe from all newsletters](.