Value of Everything: Making and Taking in the Global Economy

Mariana Mazzucato argues that in modern capitalism, value-extraction is rewarded more highly than value-creation, and we need to rethink where wealth comes from to reform capitalism.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 04 April 2019
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Winner of the 2019 Madame de Staël Prize and the 2018 Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought, Mariana Mazzucato is a renowned economist who has been shortlisted for the FT & McKinsey Business Book of the Year 2018. In her groundbreaking book, The Value of Everything, Mazzucato challenges the prevailing notion in modern capitalism that value-extraction is more highly rewarded than value-creation. She argues that this misidentification of taking with making has led to a loss of sight of what value really means and that we urgently need to rethink where wealth comes from.

Mazzucato suggests that we need to identify which activities create wealth, which extract it, and which destroy it. By doing so, we can replace the current parasitic system with a type of capitalism that is more sustainable, more symbiotic, and that works for us all. The book reignites a long-needed debate about the kind of world we really want to live in and offers a compelling vision for a more equitable and sustainable future.

Mazzucato's work is highly relevant in today's financial and economic crisis, where the productive process that drives a healthy economy and society is often overshadowed by the pursuit of shareholder value. She argues that the high prices of medicines justified through big pharma's value pricing is a prime example of this misidentification of taking with making. By rethinking where wealth comes from, we can create a system that is more sustainable, more equitable, and that works for the benefit of all.

In conclusion, The Value of Everything is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the underlying causes of today's financial and economic crisis and who is committed to creating a more sustainable and equitable future. Mariana Mazzucato's groundbreaking work challenges the prevailing notion in modern capitalism and offers a compelling vision for a better world.

Weight: 278g
Dimension: 132 x 197 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780141980768