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Kaushik Basu

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Kaushik Basu is an Indian economist who was Chief Economist of the World Bank from 2012 to 2016. He is the C. Marks Professor of International Studies and Professor of Economics at Cornell University, and academic advisory board member of upcoming Plaksha University.
26 books on the list
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Aporophobia book cover
Aporophobia
Why We Reject the Poor Instead of Helping Them
Professor Adela Cortina - 2017-04-27
Goodreads Rating
Explore the universal prejudice of rejecting the poor and its pervasive consequences in Aporophobia. Political philosopher Adela Cortina sheds light on the neurological and social origins of this daily attack on poor people and proposes the term "aporophobia" to recognize it. From its threat to democracy to unnoticed hate crimes, Cortina proclaims that poverty is the biggest problem facing the world today. But there is hope, and she explains how education and democratic institutions can help us fight this disastrous prejudice. In a world of migrant crises and economic inequality, Aporophobia is a must-read for understanding and tackling one of the most serious problems of the twenty-first century.
Kaushik Basu
2022-10-16T14:06:41.000Z
Now in English, Adela Cortina’s book of sweeping ambition, clarity and kindness, on why we view the poor and the marginalized the way we do.      source
Lincoln on the Verge book cover
Lincoln on the Verge
Thirteen Days to Washington
Ted Widmer - 2020-04-07
Goodreads Rating
"Lincoln on the Verge" follows Abraham Lincoln's journey through thirteen pivotal days as he discovers his own strength to save the divided nation from its deepest crisis. He overcomes obstacles, foils assassination attempts, and forges an unbreakable bond with the American people, all while on the train to his inauguration. This riveting account shows Lincoln on the verge of greatness, and how he spoke directly to the public to become America's greatest president.
Kaushik Basu
2022-07-23T21:08:04.000Z
There are passages in this excellent book by Ted Widmer, which, if you did not know they were about those opposing Lincoln in 1860, you would think were about those supporting Trump on January 6, 2021 on the Capitol.      source
Seven Brief Lessons on Physics book cover
Seven Brief Lessons on Physics
Carlo Rovelli - 2016-03-01 (first published in 2014)
Goodreads Rating
Explore the wonders of modern physics in just under one hundred pages with Seven Brief Lessons. Written by award-winning physicist Carlo Rovelli, this book offers a playful and engaging introduction to quantum mechanics, general relativity, gravity, black holes, and more. Discover the complexity of the universe and our place in it, as Rovelli takes readers to the edges of our knowledge and into the workings of our minds. Experience the joy of discovery and the beauty of the unknown with this major bestseller.
Kaushik Basu
2022-04-09T14:38:59.000Z
Breathtaking. ⁦@carlorovelli⁩’s book. A page-turner with only 79 pages to turn.      source
Ever Newer Shores book cover
Ever Newer Shores
Santi Chakrabarti - 2020-12-28
Embark on a captivating journey through time and cultures with "Ever Newer Shores". Follow the author from his humble beginnings in a remote village in Bengal, to his struggles amidst poverty and hardship in post-Independence Kolkata, to his travels across England, Kenya, and Botswana. This moving autobiography tells a story of family and country, of struggle and success, and of the importance of never forgetting where you came from.
Kaushik Basu
2021-03-14T02:18:47.000Z
Chanced upon this book and so glad I did. Diary of Santi Chakrabarti, an economist with a nomadic soul and an anthropologist’s eye, who lived and worked in Kolkata, London, Nairobi and London and clearly loved them all.      source
Nehru and Bose book cover
Nehru and Bose
Parallel Lives
Rudrangshu Mukherjee - 2014-11-01
Goodreads Rating
This book explores the complex relationship between two great nationalist leaders, Nehru and Bose. Author Rudrangshu Mukherjee delves into the reasons why Bose considered Nehru an enemy while naming a regiment after him. Similarly, the book explores Nehru's emotional reaction to Bose's untimely death and how he saw Bose as a younger brother. The reader will be fascinated by the intricate details of a friendship that did not quite blossom due to differing political ideologies and the shadow that fell between the two men.
Kaushik Basu
2021-01-24T02:29:30.000Z
Read Rudrangshu Mukherjee’s fascinating book Nehru & Bose. One matter on which Nehru & Bose shared the same values was in their secular instinct & in their desire to create an inclusive India. Rabindranath described Netaji & Nehru as the only “two genuine modernists.”      source
Recommended by
Salil Tripathi
Theory of Value book cover
Theory of Value
An Axiomatic Analysis of Economic Equilibrium (Cowles Foundation Monographs Series)
Gerard Debreu - 1972-09-10
Goodreads Rating
This classic book in economics is a landmark read for anyone interested in the theory of value. Offering a rigorous and formal analysis of producer and consumer behavior, general equilibrium, and the optimality of market mechanisms, this book is a must-read for economists. With glowing reviews from top industry professionals, this book is an important addition to any economic enthusiast's library.
Kaushik Basu
2021-01-22T02:56:08.000Z
My pick if I had to choose the 2 most original books in economics of the last 100 years. Debreu is like Euclid beautifully describing an entire economy one axiom at a time. Arrow is like Archimedes, discovering a stunning truth by nothing else but staring at reality & thinking.      source
Sri Aurobindo for All Ages book cover
Sri Aurobindo for All Ages
A Biography
Nirodbaran - 1990-01-28
Goodreads Rating
Book by Nirodbaran...
Kaushik Basu
2021-01-02T02:30:21.000Z
I crossed over from 2020 to 2021 reading this book on Sri Aurobindo. Riveting read.      source
The Economic Case for LGBT Equality book cover
The Economic Case for LGBT Equality
Why Fair and Equal Treatment Benefits Us All (Queer Action/Queer Ideas)
M. V. Lee Badgett - 2020-05-19
Goodreads Rating
Discover how LGBT equality and inclusion improve a company's profits and strengthen economies worldwide. Economist M. V. Lee Badgett provides a detailed financial argument for the necessity of LGBT equality. Using recent research findings, she examines the costly repercussions of homophobia and transphobia, showing how their effects lower GDP by 1% or more. Explore the real-world examples of anti-LGBT practices in multiple countries and the missed opportunities for full economic gain while discovering the ongoing complexities of LGBT equality.
Kaushik Basu
2020-11-20T17:47:03.000Z
Excellent book, both for reading and for following its advice of fairness and equal treatment for all human beings. ⁦@LeeBadgett⁩      source
One River book cover
One River
Explorations And Discoveries In The Amazon Rain Forest
Wade Davis - 1997-01-01 (first published in 1996)
Goodreads Rating
Travel with Wade Davis and Tim Plowman as they journey through South America, living amongst a dozen Indian tribes and searching for the origins of coca, the sacred leaf of the Andes which is also the source of cocaine. Their journey is inspired and made possible by their Harvard mentor, Richard Evans Schultes, the most important scientific explorer in South America in this century whose exploits rival those of Darwin and the great naturalist explorers of the Victorian age. Follow Wade and Tim's storytelling as they share their adventures, discoveries and the invaluable knowledge of native shamans.
Kaushik Basu
2020-10-01T15:21:16.000Z
The dangers of narrow identity are captured well in Wade Davis’ fascinating book on the Amazon region—One River. A well-meaning sign in a train tells passengers to be mindful of other passengers and, hence, urges them to be civilized and throw garbage out of the window.      source
Political Theology book cover
Political Theology
Four Chapters on the Concept of Sovereignty
Carl Schmitt - 2006-01-15 (first published in 1922)
Goodreads Rating
Political Theology by Carl Schmitt is a thought-provoking analysis of sovereignty and its ties to absolute authority in times of emergency. Schmitt argues that legal systems cannot determine when exceptional states hold or what should be done to resolve them, but rather, the decisions of the sovereign ultimately govern every legal order. This analysis is underpinned by Schmitt's "political theology" that claims modern political thought is secularized theological concepts, and he concludes with an attack on liberalism and its attempt to depoliticize political thought.
Kaushik Basu
2020-09-13T17:00:09.000Z
Reading an old classic & fascinating book written during the early years of the Weimar Republic by a fascist sympathizer & intellectual giant, Carl Schmitt, and translated into English & introduced by a holocaust survivor & outstanding scholar, George Schwab.      source
The State of Economics, the State of the World by Kaushik Basu
Fair Shot by Chris Hughes
Demonetisation by Dewan & Sehgal
Ants Among Elephants by Sujatha Gidla
Indira by Sagarika Ghose
Letters for a Nation by Jawaharlal Nehru
Law and the Economy in Colonial India by Tirthankar Roy
The Modern Monk by Hindol Sengupta
Inequality by Anthony B. Atkinson
Calcutta by Manish Chakraborti
Swami Vivekananda on Himself by Vivekananda
Money in the Bank by P. G. Wodehouse
The Strategy of Conflict by Thomas C. Schelling
Social Choice and Individual Values by Kenneth Joseph Arrow
Memoirs of European Travel by Swami Vivekananda
Letters of Swami Vivekananda by Swami Vivekananda