The Great Divide: Unequal Societies and What We Can Do About Them
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W.W. Norton & Company, $32.95

In The Great Divide, Joseph E. Stiglitz expands on the diagnosis he offered in his best-selling book, The Price of Inequality and suggests ways to counter America’s growing problem. With his signature blend of clarity and passion, Stiglitz argues that inequality is a choice, the cumulative result of unjust policies and misguided priorities. Gathering his writings for popular outlets, including Vanity Fair and The New York Times, Stiglitz exposes in full America’s inequality: its dimensions, its causes, and its consequences for the nation and for the world.

When to Rob a Bank: … and 131 More Warped Suggestions and Well-Intended Rants
Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
William Morrow & Company, $32.50

In celebration of the 10^th anniversary of the landmark book Freakonomics comes this curated collection from the most readable economics blog in the universe. It’s the perfect solution for the millions of readers who love all things Freakonomics. Surprising and erudite, eloquent and witty, When to Rob a Bank demonstrates the brilliance that has made the Freakonomics guys an international sensation, with more than seven million books sold in 40 languages and 150 million downloads of their Freakonomics Radio podcast.

Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future
Martin Ford
Basic Books, $36.50

What are the jobs of the future? How many will there be? And who will have them? We might imagine—and hope—that today’s industrial revolution will unfold like the last: even as some jobs are eliminated, more will be created to deal with the new innovations of a new era. In Rise of the Robots, Silicon Valley entrepreneur Martin Ford argues that this is absolutely not the case. As technology continues to accelerate and machines begin taking care of themselves, fewer people will be necessary.

Hubris: Why Economists Failed to Predict the Crisis and How to Avoid the Next One
Meghnad Desai
Yale University Press, $34.95

The failure of economists to anticipate the global financial crisis and mitigate the impact of the ensuing recession has spurred a public outcry. Economists are under fire, but questions concerning exactly how to redeem the discipline remain unanswered. In this provocative book, renowned economist Meghnad Desai investigates the evolution of economics and maps its trajectory against the occurrence of major political events to provide a definitive answer.

Return on Character: The Real Reason Leaders and Their Companies Win
Fred Kiel
Harvard Business Review Press, $37.50

Does the character of our leaders matter? You may think this question was answered long ago. Countless business authors and analysts have assured us that great leadership demands great character. Time and again, we’ve seen that truth play out, as once-thriving organizations falter and fail under the guidance of leaders behaving badly. Now, in this ground-breaking book, respected leadership researcher, adviser, and author Fred Kiel offers that evidence—solid data that demonstrates the connection between character, leadership excellence, and organizational results.

Escape from the Staple Trap: Canadian Political Economy after Left Nationalism
Paul Kellogg
University of Toronto Press, $32.95

From fur and fish to oil and minerals, Canadian development has often been understood through its relationship to export staples. In Escape from the Staple Trap, Paul Kellogg challenges statistical and historical analyses that present Canada as weak and disempowered, lacking sovereignty and economic independence. A powerful critique of the dominant trend in Canadian political economy since the 1970s, Escape from the Staple Trap offers an important new framework for understanding the distinctive features of Canadian political economy.

Losing the Signal: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of BlackBerry
Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff
Harper Collins, $32.99

It was a classic modern business story: two Canadian entrepreneurs build an iconic brand that would forever change the way we communicate. But just as it was emerging as the dominant global player, BlackBerry took a dramatic turn. Losing the Signal is the riveting, never-before-told story of one of the most spectacular technological upsets of the 21st century. Unlike Enron, which was undone by its executives’ illegal activities, or Lehman Brothers, which collapsed as part of a larger global banking crisis, BlackBerry’s rise and fall is a modern-day tale of the unrelenting speed of success and failure.

Canada: A New Tax Haven: How the Country That Shaped Caribbean Tax Havens Is Becoming One Itself
Alan Deneault (translated by Catherine Browne)
Talonbooks, $19.95

In Canada: A New Tax Haven, Alain Deneault traces Canada’s relationship with Commonwealth Caribbean nations back through the last half of the 20th century, arguing that the involvement of Canadian financiers in establishing and maintaining Caribbean tax havens has predisposed Canada to becoming a tax haven itself—a metamorphosis well under way. Canada: A New Tax Haven is an attempt to analyze the situation and address its implications for Canadians.