Description:
Disorder: Hard Times in the 21st Century explains the historical origins of the political shocks of the past decade: why politics has been so difficult, why energy and debt are such a large part of these difficulties, and how two rather different kinds of democratic crises exist in Europe and the United States.
Review Quotes: "Thompson's conceptual work is...elaborate...full of revelations." -- Thomas König, Austrian Journal of Political Science
"The best economics book for contextualising the present." -- James Grimshaw, Evening Standard"Brilliant" -- Steven Poole, The Guardian"majestic" -- Neal Lawson, The Observer"Thompson's analysis of the West is complete, compact and an indispensable reference for International Relations scholars and those with an interest in the political tensions of the modern system. The book offers a unique detailed review of the current circumstances rather than a prescriptive text. Thompson's work exhibits the best traditions of British academic historical inquiry: observation without doctrinal attachments, description without meandering thematic focus and a dry warning of dire consequences." -- Shane McLorrain, American University of Paris, France, International Affairs"Full of information and ideas from an angle that few other books on these issues have taken. The first section on energy, in particular, is masterful and worth the money itself." -- Sam Freedman, Comment is Freed"The best eight politics books of the year - "Helen Thompson expertly joins the dots between debt, energy prices, inflation and political instability." -- Eoin O'Malley"Startlingly Relevant" -- Michael Laver, Society"Excellent" -- Dominic Sandbrook, Daily Mail"Stimulating" -- Luuk van Middelaar, NRC Handelsblad