Reading Early in the New Year

Right now, the top of the pile includes Douglass North's Understanding the Process of Economic Change and Benjamin Friedman's The Moral Consequences of Economic Growth. Having (just) started North's book, I already find myself being drawn in to his analysis. One brief quotation should make clear why (from p. 7): "In the Western World, and in particular in the United States, we tend to take order for granted. We should not. Disorder--revolution, lack of personal security, chaos--has characterized a great deal of the human condition..."

More as I work my way through the argument.