Why do we pay taxes? Is inflation good or bad? Is cash on the way out? Is austerity effective? How does the stock market work? Does overseas aid reach the right people? How should we tackle wealth inequality? Economics deals with how individuals and societies distribute their resources to produce beneficial goods and services, and this book explains its importance for our day-to-day lives and our outlook for the future. In short, digestible chapters with clear topic points and black and white photos and illustrations, Anne Rooney traces the history of economics from the early barter system through the Industrial Revolution to the emergence of globalization, and profiles many of the world's great economists.