June Series of the Month: National System of Political Economy

With all of the political turmoil happening around the world in the last few months (Brexit and the Theresa May election, The Paris Agreement, the James Comey testimony, etc.), we at Cosimo wanted to shine the spotlight on National System of Political Economy by Friedrich List for those readers interested in learning more about collaboration between countries and how it affects us.

One of the most prominent economic philosophers of the 19th century, on par with-but espousing quite different thinking than-Karl Marx and Adam Smith, Friedrich List explores in this three-volume series a reasoned doctrine of national and pan-national management of trade, a global collaboration between government and business. 

Volume 1 examines the pronounced influence of freedom prudently balanced with regulation in the economic histories of the nations of Europe and North America. In Volume 2, he delineates his theory of supportive interconnectedness, discussing everything from the value of the individual's ability to produce wealth to the edge established businesses have over new ones. Volume 3 explores the economic and political systems that nurture ascendant nations in their global sovereignty. 

A close reading of this 1841 classic is an absolute necessity for anyone who hopes to understand world economic history of the last 150 years. 

About the Author
German economist and journalist Friedrich List (1789-1846) served as professor of administration and politics at the University of Tübingen, but was later jailed and exiled to America for his political views. His is also the author of Outlines of American Political Economy (1827). 

Cosimo offers this series by individual volume at leading online bookstores or as a full two-volume set in paperback or hardcover. If you are interested in purchasing the full set, please contact us.

The paperback retail list price for this series is: $34.97, but now our price is: $29.99 (you save $4.98 or a 13 percent discount)The hardcover retail list price for this series is: $68.97, but now our price is: $59.99 (you save  $8.98 or a 13 percent discount)

Streaming Radio Interviews with Dare to Care author Louis Bohtlingk

This weekend, Dare to Care author and inventor of the Care First World initiative, Louis Bohtlingk, interviewed with KGNU radio host Duncan Campbell on his show "Living Dialogues." Duncan and Louis delve into Louis's vision for a care-first approach to money and finance and the principles outlined in his book.

The interview can be listened to in full on the KGNU website or downloaded as an MP3 file. Louis will follow-up this interview on Friday, July 21, along with Hazel Henderson (author of The Power of Yin and founder of Ethical Markets Media), on the KGNU show "Connections," at 10:30 am ET. It will be available online after this time.

United Nations Event Honors Founders of the First Women’s Global Financial Network

Women and men who met in Mexico City in 1975 at the first UN Conference for Women, and resolved to work together to bring women everywhere into the formal financial markets, will be honored at the United Nations on Wednesday, December 5. The event formally launches Founding a Movement: Women’s World Banking, 1975-1990, by Michaela Walsh, one of the founders and the first President of Women’s World Banking (WWB).

Walsh’s book, in her words, “shines a light on the value that women contribute through work, and when they support one another, to become full participants in the economy.” Founding a Movement illuminates the birth of a culture of trust—from Kenya to Colombia, from Brazil to the Philippines—where women entrepreneurs could learn from and teach each other to gain control over their economic destinies. Currently, WWB serves as an umbrella organization to a network of 39 financial organizations from 27 countries that provide small loans, from $100 and up, to borrowers to start their businesses: with a portfolio of $7 billion and $3.5 billion in savings, 26 million clients are served by the WWB network, 80% of whom are women.

The UN event will feature a discussion, moderated by Zohreh Tabatabai, former Director of Communications at the United Nations, recalling the ideas and conditions of 1975—very little knowledge by women across cultures, difficult communications, legal barriers to women regarding credit and bank loans—and reflect on change.  Elements of the process that remain important today include being open to knowledge from all sources, crafting solutions based on grass-roots needs, and providing training as needed rather than by formula.  Of particular importance, according to the book and the founders, is creating a culture of personal trust based on working together.

The event sponsor is the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of The Netherlands to the United Nations.  Institutions and citizens of The Netherlands played an important role in the history of WWB, which was incorporated there in 1980. According to Walsh, “The trading tradition of the Dutch, and their concern for the interests of women and developing economies, meant that WWB found natural allies in Holland.” The Dutch appreciation for WWB is also evident from the comments by former Minister for International Development Cooperation of the Netherlands, Jan Pronk, who said:

“Women’s access to finance, including microcredit is crucial. Michaela Walsh and Women's World Banking have broken new ground. Those who wish to follow in their footsteps should read this story!"

Among the participants at the UN discussion will be other WWB founders, book contributors, and leading figures in  finance and international development, including Mary Okelo, first African manager of Barclay’s Bank in Kenya and founder of the Makini School; Barbro Dahlbom-Hall, Sweden, management consultant and author; Hon. Dag Nissen, former Norwegian Ambassador; Ron Leger, former Director of the Canadian International Development Agency; Deanna Rosenswig, former Executive Vice- President, Bank of Montreal; Geertje Lycklama, formerly with the Dutch Ministry of Development Cooperation; Klaas Molenaar, formerly with Triodos Bank; and others.  

For more information about the event, please contact Graciela Hall at 516-458-4310.

Bookbuzz Blog Radio with Frans Verhangen: Discussing His New Book on Climate Change and the Financial Crisis

Last week, Frans Verhagen, author of The Tierra Solution (Cosimo's June Book of the Month) had a conversation with Susanna Greenberg on BlogTalk Radio about the book and the state of the climate. Verhagen discussed the current climate crisis and what is currently being done to solve those problems, currency problems and moving toward a standard currency, what a carbon standard is and why it is more beneficial than any other standard, and the benefits of the Tierra Fee and Dividend System.


This book and talk comes on the heels of the Rio+20 conference in Brazil, where "world leaders, along with thousands of participants from governments, the private sector, NGOs and other groups, [came] together to shape how we can reduce poverty, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection on an ever more crowded planet to get to the future we want."