Our Dollar, Your Problem: An Insider's View of Seven Turbulent Decades of Global Finance, and the Road Ahead

Our Dollar, Your Problem: An Insider's View of Seven Turbulent Decades of Global Finance, and the Road Ahead

3.7
Books
2025
Bestseller Rankings
#1 in Money & Monetary Policy
#2 in Economic Policy & Development
#2 in International Economics
+1 more categories

About This Book

Summary

Analyzes the global ascent of the U.S. dollar and potential threats to its future stability over seven turbulent decades in global finance, offering an insider's perspective.

Key Insights

Level:
Moderately challenging but accessible to a well-read general audience interested in economics and finance.
Concepts:
Global currency hegemonyexchange ratesmonetary policy+2 more
Skills:
Analytical thinkinghistorical perspectiveunderstanding of global interconnections+2 more
Relevance:
International financemacroeconomicsfinancial markets+2 more
Applications:
Significant real-world applications for governmentscentral banksinvestorsand companies involved in international trade.

Description

A leading economist explores the global rise of the U.S. dollar and shows why its future stability is far from assured “The central argument of Our Dollar, Your Problem —that the greenback’s pre-eminence was never guaranteed and might plausibly be overturned—could hardly be more timely.”— The Economist Our Dollar, Your Problem argues that America’s currency might not have reached today’s lofty pinnacle without a certain amount of good luck

Drawing in part on his own experiences, including with policymakers and world leaders, Kenneth Rogoff animates the remarkable postwar run of the dollar—how it beat out the Japanese yen, the Soviet ruble, and the euro—and the challenges it faces today from crypto and the Chinese yuan, the end of reliably low inflation and interest rates, political instability, and the fracturing of the dollar bloc

Americans cannot take for granted that the Pax Dollar era will last indefinitely, not only because many countries are deeply frustrated with the system, but also because overconfidence and arrogance can lead to unforced errors

Rogoff shows how America’s outsized power and exorbitant privilege can spur financial instability—not just abroad but also at home