Caldararo begins to explore how human economic systems might have changed and evolved during the last several million years. This is an ambitious undertaking and he is to be congratulated for taking it on . . . I found many of the ideas and pieces of evidence in the book fascinating and thought-provoking. . . .[There is] a great deal to admire: this is a big book about big ideas. I loved his wide-ranging discussion, and I welcomed his argument that there is nothing so different about modern and traditional human economic systems that they cannot be studied within the same framework.

Reviews in Anthropology

In The Anthropology of Complex Economic Systems: Inequality, Stability, and Cycles of Crisis, author Niccolo Caldararo rightly points to our understanding and application of economics as the source of our modern problems. Caldararo questions the assumptions upon which modern economics is based and proposes that by exploring economic anthropology one can better understand the basis of human economic behavior and can be applied to guide our future economic decisions and understanding. If one looks at early human populations and their interaction with and influence upon the environment and understands the challenges and decisions faced by these populations, we may better understand our modern economic behavior that may help uncover better solutions to present day issues and problems. A substantial part of the book is dedicated to establishing a model of the evolution of human economies and he strongly bases this model within human cultural history and its effects on the environment. He appeals to his readers to use the understanding of economic anthropology in explaining modern economic behavior and events. This well-composed book will be a valuable read not only for stimulating academic debate and further study but also for environmentalists, activists, and economists as we continue to address the serious problems facing our modern civilization.

Daniel Harder, Santa Cruz Natural History Museum