The Market Power of Technology

Dani Rodrik, Harvard University:
Economists tend to believe the market power enjoyed by innovators is a necessary evil. Mordecai Kurz shows that the resulting monopolies are neither temporary nor a minor hindrance. Kurz has written a book that is rigorous in its theoretical and empirical underpinnings, yet radical in its policy implications. This is a hugely important book that goes right to the core of the central contradictions of our current economic system.

Sir Angus Deaton, Princeton University:
We live in a time of unparalleled technical innovation that ought to be bringing unparalleled and widespread prosperity. Mordecai Kurz gives us a clear, eloquent, and impassioned account of what has gone wrong and how we can fix it. This book is a key contribution to one of today’s most important intellectual and policy debates.

Sir Partha Dasgupta, University of Cambridge:
Starting with the simple idea that established firms can use their technological innovations to deter entry, Kurz constructs an account of the rise in wealth inequality in modern societies. Beautifully blending analytical reasoning with empirical evidence, the book offers a picture of contemporary macroeconomic growth and development that is at once novel and convincing. This is economics at its best.