Radio 4 Book of the Week

Economic thinking about globalization, climate change, immigration, austerity, automation, and much more is presented in its most digestible form. For decades, a single free market philosophy has dominated global economics. But this is bland and unhealthy, much like British food in the 1980s, when bestselling author and economist Ha-Joon Chang first arrived in the UK from South Korea. Just as eating a wide range of cuisines contributes to a more interesting and balanced diet, it is essential that we listen to a variety of economic perspectives.

In "Edible Economics," Chang makes challenging economic ideas more palatable by plating them alongside stories about food from around the world. He uses the histories behind familiar food items—where they come from, how they are cooked and consumed, and what they mean to different cultures—to explore economic theory. For Chang, chocolate is a lifelong addiction, but more exciting are the insights it offers into post-industrial knowledge economies. While okra makes Southern gumbo heart-meltingly smooth, it also speaks of capitalism's entangled relationship with freedom and unfreedom.

Explaining everything from the hidden cost of care work to the misleading language of the free market as he cooks dishes like anchovy and egg toast, Gambas al Ajillo, and Korean dotori mook, Ha-Joon Chang serves up an easy-to-digest feast of bold ideas. Myth-busting, witty, and thought-provoking, "Edible Economics" shows that getting to grips with the economy is like learning a recipe: if we understand it, we can change it—and, with it, the world.