Johan Fourie — Our Long Walk To Economic Freedom

On this episode I chat with Johan about his latest book Our Long Walk To Economic Freedom.  It must be said that economics scare me and I have never really been able to grasp the various aspects of economics.  So when I came across Johan's I was a little hesitant to read it. Boy am I glad I did, Johan uses catchy chapter titles and explains things in an easily digestible manner.  Well worth a read.

How did Einstein help create Eskom? Why can an Indonesian volcano explain the Great Trek? What do King Zwelithini and Charlemagne have in common?

These are some of the questions Johan Fourie explores in this entertaining, accessible economic history spanning everything from the human migration out of Africa 100 000 years ago to the Covid-19 pandemic. Our Long Walk to Economic Freedom is an engaging guide to complex debates about the roots and reasons for prosperity, the march of opportunity versus the crushing boot of exploitation, and why the builders of societies – rather than the burglars ­– ultimately win out.

Johan Fourie is Professor of Economics at Stellenbosch University. He is a founding member of the African Economic History Network and president of the Economic History Society of Southern Africa. He has published award-winning peer-reviewed articles and is a regular columnist for local newspapers. His passion is to equip the next generation of African scholars with the skills to benefit from the data revolution. Find more of his work at johanfourie.com.  

https://www.johanfourie.com/ourlongwalk/

https://www.wattsinvolved.com/