2026 summer recommendations list

Books 

1) Against Money by J.W. Mason & Arjun Jayadev

One of the first things economics undergraduates are taught is that money is merely a “veil” over an underlying material reality. In this book, J. W. Mason and Arjun Jayadev tell a very different story: money plays a central role in shaping both our material and social reality, and must therefore be understood on its own terms rather than as a simple reflection of supposedly “real” objects or quantities. 

Starting from this view of money and finance, which places their coordinating role at the centre of the analysis, the authors offer fresh and contrarian perspectives on a wide range of topics, including capital, debt, national accounting, and central banking. 

Why we liked it: This book provides a very rich framework for thinking about a question that is of particular interest to us: the coordinating role finance plays in our economies. Only by understanding that role on its own terms can we transform finance in ways that improve the material and social conditions of the large majority of the population.

2) Énergie et inégalités: Une histoire politique by Lucas Chancel

This book tells the story of energy not only as a physical phenomenon, but also as a socioeconomic one. Energy allows societies to meet human needs and address the challenges they face, but, as Lucas Chancel argues, control over energy is never politically or economically neutral. It can serve as a means of emancipation just as much as it can become a source of power.

Starting from this socioeconomic understanding of energy and the role it plays in society, the book provides a rigorous account of how energy regimes have evolved over time, both between and within countries. It shows how these regimes are simultaneously shaped by power relations and instrumental in shaping them. 

Why we liked it: While many books on energy focus primarily on its physical dimension, this book examines the deeper role that energy plays in our societies and the ways in which it both shapes and is shaped by them. In the context of climate change, the inequalities embedded in our current energy regime have become more important than ever. This book helps us imagine pathways towards more democratic and egalitarian energy regimes. 

3) The Almighty Dollar: 500 Years of the World’s Most Powerful Money by Brendan Greeley

You might ask yourself, do we really need yet another book on the dollar? Apparently, the answer is yes. While most histories of the dollar begin with the Great Depression, the Second World War, or a secretive high-level meeting during the Bretton Woods era, Brendan Greeley traces its story back to sixteenth-century Bohemia and the Joachimsthaler, the coin from which the dollar takes its name. 

Whether in Bohemia, the Spanish Empire, or Maryland, Greeley presents the history of the dollar as a story shaped as much by gradual changes in private habits as by major political decisions, challenging conventional narratives that privilege the latter over the former.

Why we liked it: While its account is controversial across many intellectual camps, the book offers a valuable complementary perspective on the role that social habits play in the manufacturing of money. It also provides an interesting framework for understanding the multiplicity of money and how its creation and distribution are invariably bound up with political choices and distributional consequences. 

4) The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy (2020) by Stephanie Kelton 

The Deficit Myth challenges the conventional view of government deficits. Kelton argues that federal governments that issue their own fiat currency cannot run out of money and do not need to rely on borrowing or taxes to finance their spending. Instead, they should focus on real economic constraints such as inflation, labour availability, and productive capacity. 

Why we liked it: We recommend this book because it challenges six common myths about public debt and encourages broader reflection on the political path the eurozone can take.

Movies & series

1) Omaha (2025) by John Magaro 

A moving drama about the human cost of financial instability and housing insecurity in the wake of the 2008 crisis. 

Why we liked it: We recommend it because it reminds us that behind economic policies and financial systems are real people and families whose lives are profoundly affected by them.

2) Families like ours (2024) by Thomas Vinterberg 

The first series to show us a not-so-far future in which the world hasn’t acted fast enough on climate change. Due to fast sea level rises and Denmark being irrevocably flooded, the Danish governments announced the evacuation of the whole country. The series follows a few characters and the decisions they have to make while being irreversibly displaced. 

Why we liked it: It’s a good reminder that also the most privileged countries in the world are subject to global warming, and that if we don’t act now, the realities that millions of people are already experiencing daily in climate-vulnerable countries are ones that people in Europe will live in one day too. A call to urgency, action and empathy. 

Podcasts

1) Roventi anni venti: cause scientifiche e conseguenze economiche di ondate di calore - Il mondo a pezzi, La Stampa 

This podcast explains how increasingly frequent extreme weather events are affecting both people and the economy. 

Why we liked it: We recommend it because it highlights why tackling climate change is not only an environmental imperative but also essential for financial and economic stability.

2) The Hidden Economics of Remarkable Women (HERO) - Foreign Policy Magazine

An award-winning podcast exploring how increasing women's economic power could be one of the simplest ways to boost the global economy. Across its seasons, it has covered topics such as access to capital, informal work, gender data, labour protections, and women in leadership, with a particular focus on women in Africa and the Global South.

Why we liked it: It's a great reminder that economic empowerment and gender equality are deeply intertwined, and that some of the most interesting economic stories are the ones that go unreported.

Channels

1) Instagram: Prof Emily Oster

From exploring whether white noise machines damage babies' hearing, to debunking breastfeeding myths and analyzing safety data on milk formula, economist Emily Oster has become a must-follow on Instagram for countless new parents. But she’s also a great follow for anyone simply curious about how data interpretation can radically shift the hypotheses and conclusions of any topic. 

Why we follow them: Prof Emily Oster follows a highly practical and engaging approach, delivered in a fast-paced yet always accurate format.

2) Youtube: Money and Macro

Want to know how the Strait of Hormuz is impacting the global economy? Or why economists seem to talk less and less about inequality? What about how sovereign debt crises actually unfold?

If so, Money and Macro is the place to be. Launched a few years ago by Dr. Joeri Schasfoort, an economist with a Ph.D, this YouTube channel and companion blog are a goldmine of accurate, well-researched, and up-to-date information presented in an accessible way. 

Why we follow them: This channel is an incredibly useful resource for diving deep into macroeconomics within the context of today’s news cycle, tailored perfectly for those who are short on time and want to avoid incomprehensible jargon.