Trade Wars are Class Wars
Trade Wars are Class Wars by Matthew C. Klein and Michael Pettisby Matthew C. Klein and Michael Pettis
Shares rank 6 of 19 economics books by recommenders
People recommend it as a readable economist's account of trade imbalances and their effect on class and politics, a fuller treatment than the informal explanations common on Hacker News.
People recommend it as a readable economist's account of trade imbalances and their effect on class and politics, a fuller treatment than the informal explanations common on Hacker News.
4 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 4
- criticize it
- 0
- approval share
- 100%
Recommended in 5 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: 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.
- Nobody criticizes itNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 5 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, 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
Written by a careful economist
“If you want details from an economist who does his homework, "Trade Wars are Class Wars" by Klein and Pettis.”
Comment from 27 Jun 2026 in “Previewing GPT‑5.6 Sol: a next-generation model” “If you want the whole story from an actual economist, read "Trade Wars are Class Wars" by Klein and Pettis.”
Comment from 5 Sep 2026 in “Netherlands pulls gold out of the US” Better explanation than casual takes
“If you want to hear an actual economist talk about this, see "Trade Wars are Class Wars" by Klein and Pettis.”
Comment from 16 Dec 2025 in “Thomas Piketty: 'The reality is the US is losing control of the world'” “For a much better explanation of this, read Trade Wars are Class Wars”
Comment from 17 Sep 2026 in “Fed hikes rates as inflation worries push up bond yields” “If you want the full economist version”
Comment from 8 Jul 2026 in “Apple to increase spend with Broadcom to produce billions more U.S. chips”
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 A. Robinson | 9 | 0 | 100% | 7 | — | — |
| Progress and Povertyby Henry George | 6 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Free to Chooseby Milton Friedman | 5 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
| Trade Wars are Class Warsby Matthew C. Klein and Michael PettisThis page | 4 | 0 | 100% | 5 | — | — |
What people said
All 7 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“For a much better explanation of this, read Trade Wars are Class Wars”
“If you want the whole story from an actual economist, read "Trade Wars are Class Wars" by Klein and Pettis.”
“If you want the full economist version”
“If you want details from an economist who does his homework, "Trade Wars are Class Wars" by Klein and Pettis.”
“Klain and Pettis diagnosis that I think is correct one or at least close to being correct”
“If you want to hear an actual economist talk about this, see "Trade Wars are Class Wars" by Klein and Pettis.”
“Trade Wars are Class Wars by Klein & Pettis is a good read.”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.