There’s no denying the global economy is in pretty bad shape and the forecasts for where it’s heading go from one extreme to the other.
However, there are few people as well qualified to comment on the New Zealand economy as Dr Alan Bollard, governor of the Reserve Bank on New Zealand for a decade until last year who has also held the positions of Secretary to the Treasury, Chair of the Commerce Commission and Director of the New Zealand Institute of Economic Research.
This book was originally published in 2010 and Dr Bollard’s first-hand account of the global financial and economic meltdown was a best-seller.
Now, he brings the reader up-to-date, telling the story of the overheated markets and investment bank collapses and to the scarily fragile recovery both here and overseas since 2010.
Two extra chapters take in how the debt crises in the United States and more recently Europe have impacted New Zealand and also look at the effects of the Christchurch earthquakes.
Even if you aren’t interested in the economy, this is fascinating reading – and it’s highly likely you’ll have an interest once you have read this book.