Las promesas por las que vivimos

Originally published in 1938, The Promises We Live By brought about a revolution in the way of talking about the economy. It stated that the raw material of the economy is human action, the countless decisions constantly made by millions and millions of people. And that these resolutions are ultimately psychologically motivated. But, if everything is so complex and its causes are so obscure, can the common citizen come to understand the economy? Not only is it possible, says Harry Scherman, but it is the goal of this book. Ultimately, ignoring how society works is the main obstacle on the road to understanding the sources of human progress. Through a tour of some basic economic issues such as work, production, the market, expectations -the promises we live by-, central banks, corporations, gold and paper money, Scherman moves away from the Keynesian notions prevalent in his time, and still in ours, and he presents an entertaining and enormously illustrative portrait of human behavior and, therefore, of the economy. The engine of this book, considered a classic of economic literature for decades, is the conviction that citizens must have economic knowledge in order not to be deceived, manipulated or confused by politicians whose decisions, in practice, harm each other time our well-being. And for this, this pioneering work is a fundamental tool.