Book Talk: Niall Ferguson's The Ascent of Money
Historian and author Niall Ferguson discussed his new book The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World—about money and finance as key propellants of human progresså at the Center for Global Affairs in December 2008.
The Ascent of Money went to press in May 2008, but as New York Times book critic Michiko Kakutani wrote recently, “It shrewdly anticipates many aspects of the current financial crisis, which has toppled banks, precipitated gigantic government bailouts, and upended global markets.”
Ferguson was interviewed by James F. Hoge, Jr., editor and the Peter G. Peterson Chair of Foreign Affairs, as part of the CGA’s ongoing In Print series of book talks with leading authors. Their wide-ranging talk addressed current questions posed by the global economic crisis, including the decline of the free market; whether another, more severe, economic downturn is coming; and the political impact the recession could have on developing states.
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