• The Making of Modern Economics

  • The Lives and Ideas of the Great Thinkers
  • By: Mark Skousen
  • Narrated by: Patrick Cullen
  • Length: 19 hrs and 48 mins
  • 4.0 out of 5 stars (443 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Making of Modern Economics  By  cover art

The Making of Modern Economics

By: Mark Skousen
Narrated by: Patrick Cullen
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $24.92

Buy for $24.92

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Here is a bold new history of economics, the dramatic story of how the great economic thinkers built a rigorous social science without peer.

Unlike other histories of economics, Mark Skousen's book provides a running plot with a singular heroic figure, Adam Smith, at the center of the discipline. Skousen unites the great thinkers by ranking them for or against Adam Smith and his "system of natural liberty". He shows how Karl Marx, Thorstein Veblen, John Maynard Keynes, and even laissez-faire disciples Robert Malthus and David Ricardo detracted from Adam Smith's classical model of democratic capitalism during periods of economic failure and upheaval, while Alfred Marshall, Irving Fisher, Ludwig von Mises, and Milton Friedman, among others, remodeled and improved upon Smithian economics as the world economy recovered and prospered.

Highlights include exciting new revelations about the lives of the great economists, provocative sidelights, humorous anecdotes, and even musical selections reflecting the spirit of each major economist.

©2001 Mark Skousen (P)2002 Blackstone Audiobooks

What listeners say about The Making of Modern Economics

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    176
  • 4 Stars
    155
  • 3 Stars
    70
  • 2 Stars
    24
  • 1 Stars
    18
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    52
  • 4 Stars
    49
  • 3 Stars
    22
  • 2 Stars
    4
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    52
  • 4 Stars
    43
  • 3 Stars
    24
  • 2 Stars
    5
  • 1 Stars
    3

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fair Review of the Men Behind Modern Economics

Mark Skousen does an excellent job of bringing the history of economics to life. He weaves the lives of these great thinkers together in such an entertaining way that you don't even realize that you are listening to economics. He helps you to understand the theorists by sharing with you their personal histories. This was a great listen. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

51 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

very biased history of US economics

Neocon economic principles in a deceptive format. More brainwashing by the extreme right. Read to see for self or avoid to save valuable time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

46 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Mark Skousen is a genius!

This book is about more than money. Mr. Skousen makes sense of how the world works and brings it to you in an entertaining way that makes you not want to put the book down.
I see that he has written quite a few other books and that makes me wonder what else I'm missing.
I wish more of his books were available on Audible.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

31 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Good review, but avoid being indoctrinated

Skousen's book does a nice job of summarizing the development of modern economics since Adam Smith. But the weakness of the book is his religious fervor for the free market. He makes his bias clear at the start: Adam Smith is at the top of the pyramid, Marx at the bottom. Government intervention in BAD, free enterprise is GOOD. There is almost no attention to distributional issues or market failure, with a consistent belief that the free market will raise all boats. Hopefully, listeners will not be convinced by his repeated attacks on Nobel Laureates and other esteemed economists. He derides economists who, with scholarly hesitation, confess uncertainty about important macroeconomic questions. He tries to convince us that the "truth" of economics was discovered by Adam Smith, and that any economist who deviated from that free-market path is not only wrong, but has damaged society immeasurably. Don't be convinced. You can learn from Skousen, but avoid indoctrination!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

26 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Detailed, but strong biased.

Interesting and detailed, but has a very very strong bias against any non ultra-free market findings.

One warning is that the author is somewhat homophobic and pro-theism(most obvious in talking about the early 1900's period and for Keynes). This seeps into some of his analysis and colors his opinions on the character of economists he talks about. Going outside of detailing the figures, he goes into simple vitriol and disdain for the figures he obviously has issues with.

As long as you know that this is a specifically pro-free market analysis, the book is very interesting. But don't let the authors irrational points effect you, and keep an eye on all his analysis. This is only one side of the argument, but he does do a somewhat complete job of explaining that side. Buy this and a book that matches it but from a less supply/free market approach and you'll get a nicely balanced view.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Worth the read despite strong bias

Although this book gives a very detailed potrait of the history of economics and the story of major economists, I find the author's idiosyncratic style a bit disorienting. Skousen maintains a very free-market perspective in his narrative, judging economists by their adherence to Smith's free market principles. The book also repeats facts and other information, leading me to believe that the book is at least partly a compliation of Skousen's previously written materials. I am not sure why we need to know that David Ricardo's teeth fell out while Skousen spends less time on the development of Ricardo's theories. The suggested musical selections are a bit strange, but they don't detract from the book.
Overall, I would suggest that you read the boook if you are interesteed in the story of economics, but be aware of Skousen's biases. Hopefully, Audible will release Heilbroner's The Wordly Philosophers to offer the other side's perspective.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent!!! Brilliant!!!

A wonderful defense of free markets with wonderful insights into human striving. Brilliant analysis and presentation. Often I am torn between rating the content and the audio presentation, but this book gets five stars on both accounts. Listen to this, then look at ?The Pentagon?s New Map? and compare the troubled spots in the world today where countries are a threat to their neighbors and where there exists widespread human suffering and conduct a comparison of the extent of the openness of their market. The only conclusion that can be drawn is that open markets rule!!!!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Very well read and thought out

This book is entertaining to listen and provides a wonderful insight into the thinkers that created modern economics. This is not a bunch of theoretical Supply/Demand carnage. This is a thought provoking insight as to who and why our economic system was created.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Tremendous! Couldn't put it down.

There are so few authors who really understand the absolutely vital and positive impact that the Austrian, Chicago and Virginia schools have had on economic science. It is written so very well that it is facinating to listen to. This is a great place to hear the real scoop on Marx. Not a bad critique of Mises either. Bravo Dr. Skousen, you are my hero! Now I will have to go out and buy the book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

What you'll never get in school

Mark's book is good for the reasons mentioned by other reviewers, but it's especially good, because you'll never get this material covered in college. Skousen is a follower of the Austrian school of economics, which is only taught at only several colleges around the country, such as George Mason.

Holly said that this is "neocon" economics, which would be as absurd as calling John Adams a Jeffersonian. Well known "neocons" support at least some of Keynes ideas, such as using fiscal policy to spur the economy during recessions. Austrians universally support a gold standard and favor almost no government endeavors (some don't support it for any).

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful