Sam Wilkin Livres

Political risk analyst Sam Wilkin was taken aback when he noticed that key indicators of trouble had started showing up in his own back yard. Could it really be true that Peru, the Philippines and Thailand were less risky than places like France? Bear in mind, Thailand's last military coup was about three years ago ... Reader: it was true. Now that political instability has come home, it's a good moment to ask: what causes it? How can you tell when your country is headed for turbulence? And what does the best social science say we can do about it? A colourful romp through the history of recent revolutionary moments becomes a profound enquiry into the machinery of social unrest. Why are farming nations so unstable? Is there really a "resource curse" on mineral-rich nations? Do tall rulers last longer? Just how good was the Czar's wine cellar? Wilkin answers all these questions and more in pursuit of the holy grail of political science: how to make things better without first making them much, much worse. --provided by publisher

'Infuriating... Wilkin's main claim is that the super-rich have discovered 'secret' ways of both making and preserving their fortunes... like [Capital author Thomas] Piketty, Wilkin has a love-hate relationship with capitalism. He takes the view that most billionaires are rich because, one way or another, they have found ways to rig the market.' The Times What does it take to make a fortune? Hard work? Great ideas? Intelligence? Business acumen? Or something else entirely? Spanning centuries and continents, from the Ancient World to the 21st century, Wealth Secrets of the 1% uncovers the economic principles that enable a fortunate few to get really rich. Witty, provocative and immaculately researched, it is essential and revelatory reading at a time when 1% of the world's population owns half of its wealth. 'Clever [and] entertaining, with a distinctly satirical edge' Daily Mail 'Illuminating [and] eye-opening... sure to make libertarian heads explode' Kirkus Reviews 'What makes this book different is that Sam Wilkin is an inside man' Daily Telegraph 'No one gets really rich reading how-to-get-rich handbooks...Wilkin offers up the real scoop in Wealth Secrets of the One Percent, a delicious - and insight-packed - send-up of the genre.' Toomuch.com