Deaths of Despair
Deaths of Despair by Anne Case and Angus Deatonby Anne Case and Angus Deaton
Shares rank 6 of 19 economics books by recommenders
People recommend it as a book that changed their view of its subject and covers it well. One critic says it does not give the author's argument a strong foundation.
People recommend it as a book that changed their view of its subject and covers it well. One critic says it does not give the author's argument a strong foundation.
5 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 80%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 4 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 4 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Changed a reader's viewpoint
“One thing that changed my viewpoint was this book.”
Comment from 27 Aug 2026 in “U.S. State Department pauses immigrant visa applications” Covers its topic well
“does a pretty good job at talking about this”
Comment from 7 Aug 2026 in “Why is Everyone in Tech so sad?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Weak foundation for the argument
“does not provide a strong foundation for the author's argument”
Comment from 31 May 2026 in “The Dead Economy Theory”
Other economics books people recommend
The four most recommended other economics books, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital in the Twenty-First Centuryby Thomas Piketty | 12 | 6 | 67% | 7 | — | Approved |
| Why Nations Failby Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson | 9 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | — |
| Progress and Povertyby Henry George | 6 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Free to Chooseby Milton Friedman | 5 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Deaths of Despairby Anne Case and Angus DeatonThis page | 4 | 1 | 80% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
3 of the 5 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“One thing that changed my viewpoint was this book.”
“does a pretty good job at talking about this”
“does not provide a strong foundation for the author's argument”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.