Want to know what books David Pilling recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of David Pilling's favorite book recommendations of all time.
1
A Nobel Prize-winning economist tells the remarkable story of how the world has grown healthier, wealthier, but also more unequal over the past two and half centuries
The world is a better place than it used to be. People are healthier, wealthier, and live longer. Yet the escapes from destitution by so many has left gaping inequalities between people and nations. In The Great Escape, Nobel Prize-winning economist Angus Deaton--one of the foremost experts on economic development and on poverty--tells the remarkable story of how, beginning 250 years ago, some parts of... more A Nobel Prize-winning economist tells the remarkable story of how the world has grown healthier, wealthier, but also more unequal over the past two and half centuries
The world is a better place than it used to be. People are healthier, wealthier, and live longer. Yet the escapes from destitution by so many has left gaping inequalities between people and nations. In The Great Escape, Nobel Prize-winning economist Angus Deaton--one of the foremost experts on economic development and on poverty--tells the remarkable story of how, beginning 250 years ago, some parts of the world experienced sustained progress, opening up gaps and setting the stage for today's disproportionately unequal world. Deaton takes an in-depth look at the historical and ongoing patterns behind the health and wealth of nations, and addresses what needs to be done to help those left behind.
Deaton describes vast innovations and wrenching setbacks: the successes of antibiotics, pest control, vaccinations, and clean water on the one hand, and disastrous famines and the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the other. He examines the United States, a nation that has prospered but is today experiencing slower growth and increasing inequality. He also considers how economic growth in India and China has improved the lives of more than a billion people. Deaton argues that international aid has been ineffective and even harmful. He suggests alternative efforts--including reforming incentives to drug companies and lifting trade restrictions--that will allow the developing world to bring about its own Great Escape.
Demonstrating how changes in health and living standards have transformed our lives, The Great Escape is a powerful guide to addressing the well-being of all nations. less 
Bill GatesIf you want to learn about why human welfare overall has gone up so much over time, you should read [this book]. (Source)
David PillingThere are two strands to this book. Funnily enough, it has some overlap with the Hans Rosling book Factfulness because The Great Escape is actually the escape from poverty. The title comes from the movie of the same name, where some people escape from a German prisoner of war camp. His question is: is that good? They are now better off than the poor buggers left behind. So, with the inequality... (Source)
See more recommendations for this book...
2
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is arguably the most well-known statistic in the contemporary world. It drives government policy and sets priorities in a variety of vital social fields - from schooling to healthcare. Yet this it has come to be regarded by many as a "problem." Does our quality of life really improve when our economy grows 2 or 3%? Can we continue to sacrifice the environment in the name of infinite economic growth?
In Gross Domestic Problem, Lorenzo Fioramonti takes apart the "content" of GDP - what it measures, what it doesn't and why - and reveals the powerful... more Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is arguably the most well-known statistic in the contemporary world. It drives government policy and sets priorities in a variety of vital social fields - from schooling to healthcare. Yet this it has come to be regarded by many as a "problem." Does our quality of life really improve when our economy grows 2 or 3%? Can we continue to sacrifice the environment in the name of infinite economic growth?
In Gross Domestic Problem, Lorenzo Fioramonti takes apart the "content" of GDP - what it measures, what it doesn't and why - and reveals the powerful political interests that have allowed it to dominate today's economies. He also shows that an alternative is possible. less David PillingIt’s definitely opinionated and iconoclastic. But I like it precisely because of that. It stirs the pot and takes what we think of as this bland, uncontroversial and says, hang on, this is a construct and this is what’s wrong with it. (Source)
See more recommendations for this book...
3
横扫各类财经图书殊荣。《华尔街日报》年度十大好书/《金融时报》及麦肯锡年度商业类佳作/世界商业图书Axiom Business大奖/《Choice》年度商业杰作……
全球政商界精英连袖推荐。经济合合与发展组织秘书长安赫尔·古里亚，前英国央行行长默文·金，前美国白宫经济政策主任托德·布赫霍尔茨，美国经济学泰斗泰勒·柯文，高收益债券教头马丁·弗里德森，发展经济学先驱赛尔奎因，日本经济研究中心特别顾问、前任会长小岛明，《卧底经济学》作者蒂姆·哈福德，英国经济学家约翰·凯，投资分析专家约翰·莫尔丁等。强烈推荐
英国经济学巨擘、BBC副主席黛安娜·科伊尔力透纸背之作
一天读完300年发展史，让你透彻洞悉GDP如何深度影响每个人的生活
随着中国经济体积的日益庞大，GDP的增长速度日益进入“L”型轨道。历史上有哪些国家曾经历过这种类似的局面，其政府...
(展开全部) more 横扫各类财经图书殊荣。《华尔街日报》年度十大好书/《金融时报》及麦肯锡年度商业类佳作/世界商业图书Axiom Business大奖/《Choice》年度商业杰作……
全球政商界精英连袖推荐。经济合合与发展组织秘书长安赫尔·古里亚，前英国央行行长默文·金，前美国白宫经济政策主任托德·布赫霍尔茨，美国经济学泰斗泰勒·柯文，高收益债券教头马丁·弗里德森，发展经济学先驱赛尔奎因，日本经济研究中心特别顾问、前任会长小岛明，《卧底经济学》作者蒂姆·哈福德，英国经济学家约翰·凯，投资分析专家约翰·莫尔丁等。强烈推荐
英国经济学巨擘、BBC副主席黛安娜·科伊尔力透纸背之作
一天读完300年发展史，让你透彻洞悉GDP如何深度影响每个人的生活
随着中国经济体积的日益庞大，GDP的增长速度日益进入“L”型轨道。历史上有哪些国家曾经历过这种类似的局面，其政府...
(展开全部) less David PillingHers is a very sober account and that’s what I like about it. It’s written by a proper economist and it’s very clear. In one hundred and fifty pages or so, you get a very good guide to this number that has come to dominate public discussion. GDP has become a kind of a proxy for things that we ought to care about. I’d argue that she takes a gentler line than I do – hence it’s an “affectionate... (Source)
See more recommendations for this book...
4
In Jared Diamond’s follow-up to the Pulitzer-Prize winning Guns, Germs and Steel, the author explores how climate change, the population explosion and political discord create the conditions for the collapse of civilization
Environmental damage, climate change, globalization, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices were all factors in the demise of societies around the world, but some found solutions and persisted. As in Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond traces the fundamental pattern of catastrophe, and weaves an all-encompassing global thesis through a series of... more In Jared Diamond’s follow-up to the Pulitzer-Prize winning Guns, Germs and Steel, the author explores how climate change, the population explosion and political discord create the conditions for the collapse of civilization
Environmental damage, climate change, globalization, rapid population growth, and unwise political choices were all factors in the demise of societies around the world, but some found solutions and persisted. As in Guns, Germs, and Steel, Diamond traces the fundamental pattern of catastrophe, and weaves an all-encompassing global thesis through a series of fascinating historical-cultural narratives. Collapse moves from the Polynesian cultures on Easter Island to the flourishing American civilizations of the Anasazi and the Maya and finally to the doomed Viking colony on Greenland. Similar problems face us today and have already brought disaster to Rwanda and Haiti, even as China and Australia are trying to cope in innovative ways. Despite our own society’s apparently inexhaustible wealth and unrivaled political power, ominous warning signs have begun to emerge even in ecologically robust areas like Montana.
Brilliant, illuminating, and immensely absorbing, Collapse is destined to take its place as one of the essential books of our time, raising the urgent question: How can our world best avoid committing ecological suicide? less Bill GatesI found this to be an interesting follow-up to the excellent Guns, Germs, and Steel. It examines the downfall of some of history's greatest civilizations. (Source)
Matthew YglesiasI wanted to get a book on my list that is actually enjoyable to read, so not everything is quite so dry and dull as a narrative. I also wanted to include something that reflects the growing importance of environmental and ecological concerns to progressive politics in America. This is relatively new to the agenda – it’s only been in the last 30 to 35 years. But going forward, one of the most... (Source)
Stefan LessardHe should read this book I’m almost finished with. Jared Diamond is one of my favorite historical authors. https://t.co/f9JLYlsc4v https://t.co/KtPgMZaWen (Source)
See more recommendations for this book...
5
Factfulness: The stress-reducing habit of only carrying opinions for which you have strong supporting facts.
When asked simple questions about global trends—what percentage of the world’s population live in poverty; why the world’s population is increasing; how many girls finish school—we systematically get the answers wrong. So wrong that a chimpanzee choosing answers at random will consistently outguess teachers, journalists, Nobel laureates, and investment bankers.
In Factfulness, Professor of International Health and global TED phenomenon... more Factfulness: The stress-reducing habit of only carrying opinions for which you have strong supporting facts.
When asked simple questions about global trends—what percentage of the world’s population live in poverty; why the world’s population is increasing; how many girls finish school—we systematically get the answers wrong. So wrong that a chimpanzee choosing answers at random will consistently outguess teachers, journalists, Nobel laureates, and investment bankers.
In Factfulness, Professor of International Health and global TED phenomenon Hans Rosling, together with his two long-time collaborators, Anna and Ola, offers a radical new explanation of why this happens. They reveal the ten instincts that distort our perspective—from our tendency to divide the world into two camps (usually some version of us and them) to the way we consume media (where fear rules) to how we perceive progress (believing that most things are getting worse).
Our problem is that we don’t know what we don’t know, and even our guesses are informed by unconscious and predictable biases.
It turns out that the world, for all its imperfections, is in a much better state than we might think. That doesn’t mean there aren’t real concerns. But when we worry about everything all the time instead of embracing a worldview based on facts, we can lose our ability to focus on the things that threaten us most.
Inspiring and revelatory, filled with lively anecdotes and moving stories, Factfulness is an urgent and essential book that will change the way you see the world and empower you to respond to the crises and opportunities of the future. less 
Barack ObamaAs 2018 draws to a close, I’m continuing a favorite tradition of mine and sharing my year-end lists. It gives me a moment to pause and reflect on the year through the books I found most thought-provoking, inspiring, or just plain loved. It also gives me a chance to highlight talented authors – some who are household names and others who you may not have heard of before. Here’s my best of 2018... (Source)
Bill GatesThis was a breakthrough to me. The framework Hans enunciates is one that took me decades of working in global development to create for myself, and I could have never expressed it in such a clear way. I’m going to try to use this model moving forward. (Source)
Nigel WarburtonIt’s an interesting book, it’s very challenging. It may be over-optimistic. But it does have this startling effect on the readers of challenging widely held assumptions. It’s a plea to look at the empirical data, and not just assume that you know how things are now. (Source)
See more recommendations for this book...
Don't have time to read David Pilling's favorite books? Read Shortform summaries.
Shortform summaries help you learn 10x faster by:
- Being comprehensive: you learn the most important points in the book
- Cutting out the fluff: you focus your time on what's important to know
- Interactive exercises: apply the book's ideas to your own life with our educators' guidance.