"Economics is not an arcane knowledge,
but the key to understanding the world
and our daily decisions."
Talking economics
AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE IDEAS
THAT SHAPE OUR DECISIONS
Talking economics launches a pedagogical trilogy that explores the behavior of consumers and businesses, monetary and fiscal policy, and international trade and finance. It does so through rigorous dialogues and imaginary interviews with iconic economists, from Adam Smith to Paul Krugman. Inspired by the Platonic tradition, it places ideas in their historical context and highlights their continued relevance.
Throughout three volumes, the work reveals that economics is not a set of abstract formulas, but a powerful lens for interpreting our daily decisions in the face of scarcity. Far from the technical jargon and advanced mathematics of traditional textbooks, Conversational Economics offers clear explanations, everyday examples, and accessible reasoning.
More than transmitting knowledge, this work proposes a new way of thinking about the world, its resources, and our place in it. It is an essential tool for navigating the complex economic reality of the 21st century with discernment. Discover economics like never before: through questions, not dogmas.
The reading experience is complemented by an interactive chatbot that expands on content, answers questions in real time, and guides the reader to delve deeper into the topics that interest them most."
About the author
Alberto Ades (@adesalb en ) is an economist with over thirty years of experience in global financial markets. He currently serves as Head of Research and Strategy at the NWI Management fund.
Throughout his career he held leadership positions at BofA Merrill Lynch, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, where he led research teams and developed innovative economic and financial models.
He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Harvard University and a Law degree from the University of Buenos Aires. He has published in leading academic journals such as the American Economic Review and the Quarterly Journal of Economics, and collaborates regularly with local and international media.
Born in Argentina, he lives in New York
Pedagogical Trilogy
Talking Economics I
Microeconomics
This first volume presents the fundamentals of microeconomics—scarcity, incentives, prices, and resource allocation—through questions that stimulate critical reasoning. With clear prose and relevant everyday examples, it analyzes the behavior of consumers and firms, market structures, and the fundamentals of game theory, among other topics. It is aimed at humanities students, educators, journalists, and interested readers who do not have technical training in economics. And at economists, too, of course.
What you need to know before reading Volume I:
Talking Economics II
Macroeconomics
This second volume delves into the major themes of macroeconomics: economic growth, cycles and unemployment, inflation, fiscal and monetary policy, public debt, and central banks. With the same format of dialogues and imaginary interviews, Socrates, Glaucon, and prominent economists guide the reader in connecting theory to the dilemmas of modern economies. An indispensable resource for students, educators, journalists, and anyone interested in understanding how macroeconomics works.
What you need to know before reading Volume II:
Talking Economics III
International Economics
This third volume completes the Conversational Economics trilogy, addressing the major issues of international economics and global finance. Through dialogues and imaginary interviews, Socrates, Glaucon, and prominent economists explore international trade, exchange rates, the balance of payments, capital flows, financial crises, the role of central banks, and new monetary technologies. An essential guide to understanding how global decisions and tensions impact national economies. An indispensable resource for students, educators, journalists, and anyone interested in understanding how the global economy works.
What you need to know before reading Volume III:
What they're saying about
Talking Economics
Silvana Tenreyno
It offers a rigorous and original introduction to the great themes of economics, without sacrificing depth or clarity.
(Professor at the London School of Economics, former director of the Bank of England)
Ricardo López Murphy
It recovers the habit of rigorous reasoning out loud, without technicalities or trivialities.
(Economist, congressman, former Argentine Minister of Economy)
Federico Sturzenegger
It doesn't replace theory: it humanizes it, contextualizes it, makes it more understandable.
(Economist, author, and Minister of Deregulation and Transformation of the Argentine State)
Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo
Conversational Economics returns an essential tool to public debate: the argument.
(Historian, author and member of the Spanish Congress)
Luciana Vázquez
A work that teaches without pontificating, explains without trivializing, and makes you think without intimidating.
(Periodista de La Nación, autora, conductora de La repregunta)
Claudio Irigoyen
An indispensable guide for those who need to transform theory into action in an uncertain world.
(Chief Economist at Bank of America)
Arminio Fraga
Translate without simplifying: that is what this book achieves by connecting theory and practice with clarity.
(Economist, investor, former president of the Central Bank of Brazil)
José Luis Daza
An invitation to understand economic thought through conversation.
(Economist and Secretary of Economic Policy)