PPE Recommended Reading List

The combined size of the literature in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics as discrete disciplines makes them intimidating to navigate, with many classic and contemporary works to choose from. However, that does not have to be the case for PPE, being largely centred at the intersection of social philosophy and social science, and thus having a distinct focus as a field of study in its own right. In putting together this list of recommended reads from seniors in the community, the hope is to help you make your next pick if you’re in search of new reading material to deepen your understanding of the field. 

The readings cover a wide range of theory and praxis, with works by luminaries and giants as well as contemporary writers. In one way or another, you will probably find the readings relevant to the theory of PPE or its application across broad areas of society.

Development Economics

This topic examines the social, political, and economic factors influencing the development of nations, frequently with the aim of understanding and ameliorating conditions in less-developed countries.

Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty (2012) by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson

“This book is a really great read if you’re interested in inequality! It uncovers how political power serves as the main driver for unfair social outcomes rather than culture, geography, or other oft-blamed factors. It’s a long read (600 pages!), but I read it briefly a few years ago and I still think it's an incredibly important piece of work. I think it’s used as a textbook in many political science courses in universities around the world, and I can totally see why.”

Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty (2011) by Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo

“I haven’t personally read this, but it’s at the top of my list right now. A senior interested in development recommended this to me, apparently the book is a key textbook for people interested in examining economic reasons and solutions to alleviating the suffering of the world’s poorest people. Banerjee is also a very key academic to look to for literature on development and political economy, so I’m really excited to read the book.”

Ethics, Power, and Society

This topic delves into the interplay between ethical systems, power dynamics, and their profound impact on the fabric of society.

What We Owe to Each Other (1998) by T. M. Scanlon

Scanlon’s classic outlines his famous contractualist approach to morality, seeking to provide a universal and impartial basis for ethical judgments.

Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do? (2009) by Michael Sandel

Sandel explores distinct approaches to justice: utilitarian, libertarian, Kantian, Rawlsian, and Aristotelian, and outlines his own conception of justice in this highly accessible book to accompany his famous Harvard course on the same subject.

What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets (2012) by Michael Sandel

“I read this in JC, and it was this book that made me want to study PPE. I loved this book for bringing together philosophy and economics, personally I haven’t explored much economic philosophy and I’m not sure how much room there is for it in our PPE syllabus, so it’s a good read if you’re trying to broaden your horizons a little. It examines how market values encroach into morally questionable areas of our lives. Some instances that I can remember are mentioned in the book are surrogacy and prostitution, which were especially illuminating to think about from a gender studies lens.”

Collective Choice and Social Welfare: An Expanded Edition (2017) by Amartya Sen

Sen's seminal work probed the ethical dimensions of collective decision-making and resource allocation, contributing significantly to social choice theory, political philosophy, and welfare and development economics. This expanded edition adds new arguments and results, and makes his previous proofs even more accessible than before.

On War (1832) by Carl von Clausewitz

This classic work explores the nature of total war and its role as an instrument of power, delving into the ethics and politics of armed conflict.

On China (2011) by Henry Kissinger

Kissinger's book offers insights into the rise of China in relation to America, addressing the shifting global power dynamics and its implications.

The Meritocracy Trap (2019) by Daniel Markovits

Markovits critiques the meritocratic ideal, highlighting how it can entrench inequality and impact the middle class, examining the ethics of social mobility and success.

The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power (2019) by Shoshana Zuboff

Zuboff's work investigates the widespread collection and commodification of data by corporations, raising ethical questions about privacy, power, and society.

Challenging the Singaporean Status Quo

Books in this topic chart evolving social, political, and economic dynamics in Singapore, scrutinising local governance, policy, and societal norms.

This is What Inequality Looks Like (2018) by Teo You Yenn

This book delves into the pressing issue of economic inequality in Singapore, shedding light on societal disparities and their consequences.

Hard Choices: Challenging the Singapore Consensus (2014) by Donald Low and Sudhir Thomas Vadaketh

Low and Vadaketh's work critically examines the fading notion of Singaporean exceptionalism and the rising demand for democracy.

Beyond the Blue Gate: Recollections of a Political Prisoner (2011) by Teo Suh Lung;

To Catch a Tartar: A Dissident in Lee Kuan Yew's Prison (1994) by Francis Seow

These books provide insights into the lesser-known 1987 Marxist conspiracy, which has largely been overlooked in Singaporean politics and history.

Liberalism Disavowed: Communitarianism and State Capitalism in Singapore (2017) by Chua Beng Huat

Chua's book explores the development of a non-Western ideology for the state, reflecting the ongoing challenges to established political and economic norms in Singapore.

Capitalism and Political Theory

This topic explores the relationship between capitalism and political thought, demonstrating the influence of economic systems on political theorising.

The Communist Manifesto (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels

This influential manifesto critiques capitalism and advocates for a communist society, offering a foundational perspective on the tension between capitalism and political theory.

Liberal Legislation and Freedom of Contract (1861) by T. H. Green

Green's work emphasises the historical importance of balancing individual liberties with societal constraints, and the necessity of aligning restraining laws with the prevailing social sentiment for their effective implementation.

“The Relation between Economic Freedom and Political Freedom” in Capitalism and Freedom (1962) by Milton Friedman

Friedman’s essay underscores the critical role of economic freedom as not only a fundamental liberty, but also a cornerstone of genuine political freedom.

Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? (2009) by Mark Fisher

Fisher's work explores the dominance of capitalism in contemporary society, and the idea that envisioning an alternative is an insurmountable challenge. (Credit: Toh Wei Soong)

#Accelerate: The Accelerationist Reader (2014) edited by Robin MacKay and Armen Avanessian

This collection of essays provides a comprehensive overview of accelerationism, which argues for accelerating social and economic processes and pushing systems to their limits for radical change. (Credit: Toh Wei Soong)

Biopolitics

(Credit: Toh Wei Soong)

Biopolitics focuses on how states and institutions with extensive social and political power exert control over human life.

The Concept of the Political (1932) by Carl Schmitt

Schmitt's work introduces the core notion that politics fundamentally revolves around the existential division between friend and enemy, rooted in the inherent diversity of human identities and practices. 

Society Must Be Defended (1976) by Michel Foucault

Foucault's work positions war as the enduring foundation of power structures, unravelling the intertwined origins of power and knowledge that became central to his intellectual life.

Homo Sacer: Sovereign Power and Bare Life (1995) by Giorgio Agamben

Agamben's work critically examines the power dynamics between the state and individuals, addressing fundamental questions about sovereignty and the nature of political authority.

These next few sections are my personal picks which I found interesting or promising.

Economic Analysis of Law

Incentives shape legal decisions and vice versa, making it a crucial area for PPE scholars to understand the economic underpinnings of the legal system which regulates society. 

The Legal Analyst: A Toolkit for Thinking about the Law (2007) by Ward Farnsworth

Farnsworth’s book equips readers with essential methods for analysing the law, from game theory to psychological and jurisprudential principles. These frameworks shed light on the incentive structures and modes of thinking which guide legal decision-making, in ways which are also broadly generalisable to social groups. 

The Republic of Beliefs: A New Approach to Law and Economics (2018) by Kaushik Basu

Basu's work introduces a new paradigm for the economic analysis of law, bringing together social norms and the legal system to understand the differences between law in theory and in practice, as implemented and enforced.

Impact: How Law Affects Behaviour (2016) by Lawrence Friedman

Friedman draws on multiple disciplines in exploring the conditions that render laws and regulations effective, offering a cohesive, interdisciplinary perspective on “impact studies”.

The Behavioural Turn: Economics, Political Epistemology, and Public Policy

Insights from cognitive and social psychology are exceptionally useful in understanding how cognitive biases and social factors influence political behaviour, departing from the traditional and idealistic models of rational choice. Granting explanatory power to descriptive models of rationality, they advance a more realistic way of understanding human behaviour and decision-making within limits imposed by the mind and the social world, which in turn influences how effective public policies should be crafted.

“Why People are Irrational about Politics” in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics: An Anthology (2016) by Micheal Huemer

Huemer's essay addresses the irrational aspects of political behaviour, a critical concern in the field of political epistemology.

Reasoned Politics (2022) by Magnus Vinding

Vinding's book examines the importance of ethics and rationality in political discourse, offering insights into the role of reason and logic within the realm of politics.

Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011) by Daniel Kahneman

Kahneman's seminal work on human cognition distinguishes between “System 1” and “System 2” thinking, important concepts in behavioural economics. 

Nudge: The Final Edition (2021) by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein

This classic by pioneers in the field of behavioural public policy introduces the concept of nudging, which aims to guide better decision-making at all levels of society. 

Why Nudge?: The Politics of Libertarian Paternalism (2014) by Cass Sunstein

Sunstein's work engages with the political aspects of nudging, justifying libertarian paternalism as an acceptable and legitimate method of governance.

The Ethics of Influence: Government in the Age of Behavioral Science (2016) by Cass Sunstein

This book investigates the ethical aspects of behavioural government interventions in an era where it is on the rise.

Effective Altruism

Effective Altruism (EA) is a movement that lies at the heart of philosophical debates about ethical choices and resource allocation, making it highly relevant to PPE where moral and economic considerations converge in decision-making.

Effective Altruism: Philosophical Issues (2019) edited by Hilary Greaves and Theron Pummer

This collection offers comprehensive insights into the philosophical, political, and economic aspects of the EA movement, uncovering new questions to be deliberated by those committed to EA’s tenets.

The Good It Promises, The Harm It Does: Critical Essays on Effective Altruism (2023) edited by Carol Adams, Alice Crary, and Lori Gruen

This collection of essays scrutinises the potential unintended consequences of EA, raising questions about whether the movement may inadvertently harm the very people it aims to assist in various manners. 

What We Owe The Future (2022) by William MacAskill

MacAskill's book delves into the ethical responsibilities we bear towards future generations, advancing longtermism as a vital component of EA discourse.

The Precipice (2020) by Toby Ord

Ord's exploration of existential risks (x-risks) and humanity's survival is a key consideration within EA, where ethical decision-making intersects with potential global catastrophes.

Moral Uncertainty (2020) by William MacAskill, Krister Bykvist, and Toby Ord

This book delves into the complexities of decisions under moral uncertainty, employing social choice approaches to navigate varying moral positions in decision-making.

Avoiding the Worst: How to Prevent a Moral Catastrophe (2022) by Tobias Baumann

Baumann's work outlines the concept of suffering-risks (s-risks) and the impetus for prioritising their reduction.

Suffering-Focused Ethics: Defense and Implications (2020) by Magnus Vinding

Vinding's book emphasises the pressing need to address and halt suffering, positioning it as complementary to other theories of moral philosophy.

There are many more works worth your time, but which unfortunately had to be omitted for brevity. As a tip, keep an eye out for books in particular topics within PPE like those suggested above, and for authors who publish works relevant to the field, such as

  • Amartya Sen (Harvard)

  • Jason Brennan (Georgetown)

  • Geoffrey Sayre-McCord (UNC-CH)

  • Geoffrey Brennan (UNC-CH)

  • Bryan Caplan (GMU)

  • Gerald Gaus (Arizona)

  • John Thrasher (Chapman)

  • Bas van der Vossen (Chapman)

  • Keith Hankins (Chapman)

  • Kevin Vallier (BGSU)

  • Chris Melenovsky (Suffolk)

  • Erik Angner (Stockholm)

  • Andreas Schmidt (Groningen)

  • Tan Kok-Chor (UPenn)

  • Lisa Herzog (Groningen)

  • Justin Bruner (SUNY Buffalo)

There are also book lists available as part of reading groups in PPE programmes throughout the world, such as Reading Groups – PPE Program.

As Seneca warned, however:

Be careful, though, about your reading in many authors and every type of book. It may be that there is something wayward and unstable in it. You must stay with a limited number of writers and be fed by them if you mean to derive anything that will dwell reliably with you. One who is everywhere is nowhere. [...] The same thing necessarily happens to those who do not become intimate with any one author, but let everything rush right through them. [...] since you cannot read everything you have, it is sufficient to have only the amount you can read.

— in “Letter 2: A beneficial reading program”, Fifty Letters of a Roman Stoic (2021, trans. Margaret Graver and A. A. Long)

Nonetheless, as long as we remain judicious, an open mind admits more topics into the arena of ideas in the field to be scrutinised, or more broadly, as intelligible through its analytical frameworks. In the vein of “the philosophy of X”, “the politics of X”, and “the economics of X”, it is my belief that we will eventually be able to advance “the PPE of X” as a synthesised approach to understanding social phenomena—a door to a world inflected by PPE lenses, first pried opened through extensive reading and understanding. With that in mind, happy reading, and thank you to the seniors for your contributions!

Edited by Austin Ho