Value(s): The must-read book on how to fix our politics, economics and values

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Carney does rely on his readers understanding a vast range of specialized finance words and acronyms that were entirely beyond me, and yes, I could have googled them, but I wouldn't have retained the information nor clearly understood how it all fit together without taking a simultaneous Econ 101 course at the very least. Carney is forgiving of pretty much everything. Banking, finance and economics are continually evolving. What was true when we were on the gold standard is not true today. Rules made yesterday will need revising tomorrow. All the errors are forgivable. What are central banks doing? “Network for Greening the Financial System (NGFS), a coalition of seventy central banks, representing countries that generate almost three-quarters of the world’s emissions, have developed representative scenarios to show how climate risks might evolve and affect the real and financial economies.” They’re modeling. A bold and urgent argument by economist and former bank governor Mark Carney on the radical, foundational change that is required if we are to build an economy and society based not on market values but on human values.

Further, these functions operate in a hierarchy, which "points to the reality that money is a social convention." This in turn points to some important characteristics and values that are essential for money to retain its value including, but not limited, to resilience, solidarity, transparency, accountability, trust, a sense of purpose and good governance.If we are all humble, we can recognise that answers can be found through processes that will bring them out through debate, considering different perspectives and forging consensus.” A roadmap to a fairer and more responsible, resilient world. Carney offers trenchant insights into our relationship with money and status, imagination and responsibility critical to our world's future. What do we invest in - profit or human potential? This book is irradiated with the inspiring and critical conviction that money can be transformed into a tool of collective good' -Antony Gormley The author’s final chapter is devoted to humility. That might sound an oxymoronic term when talking about Government or Big Business. However, Carney sees humility as the desirable and appropriate attitude to leading and governing.

It is refreshing to find a top economist and businessman of such pedigree with both political savvy and social conscience - someone prepared to look to a future rather than looking for personal gain in the short term without regard to a future world and its survival. A radical book that speaks out accessibly as to how we get everyone involved in solving our problems. And this is what we need: 50 Shades of People for 50 Shades of Green' - Bono The first spring when I was governor of the Bank of Canada, I began to hear a tour bus every 45 minutes outside my window. The guide would say ‘ that's the Bank of Canada - they have the world’s second biggest gold reserves in there.’ And I would think ‘no we don't, we sold out gold in the 1990s.’” I love this story for its humour and truthfulness.Mr. Carney is clearly a smart, articulate guy. He relies a little too much on bullet-points and numbered lists for my personal taste, but this book is nonetheless both well-written and well-researched. In fact, I jotted down some interesting books and articles that are referenced in the endnotes section for my own interest. Then in the USA, Carney cites the head of Morgan Stanley, James Gorman, answering a question in congressional testimony about “whether climate change really was a risk to financial stability: ‘It’s hard to have a financial system if you don’t have a planet.’” Thought-provoking and readable... As societies struggle to rebuild solidarity in the post-Covid world, it will be an essential guide' -Raghu Rajan We have moved from a market economy to a market society, and this is now undermining our basic social contract of relative equality of outcomes, equality of opportunity and fairness across generations.”