Bank of England’s new economics book to be published

News release

‘Can’t we just print more money?’ is a new pop-economics book, written by the Bank of England, which will be published this May in partnership with Cornerstone Press. The book addresses ten economic questions, from, ‘Why are all my clothes made in Asia?’ to ‘What actually is money?’ Along the way, it offers idiosyncratic examples of economics in action: from the City of London to Springfield Power Plant; from Babylonian gold lending 4,000 years ago, to the economic effects of the Covid pandemic.

The book, which will be published on 19 May, is part of the Bank’s work to increase public understanding about the economy and the Bank’s role in it. The Bank’s advance and future royalties will be used to buy copies of the book for thousands of state school libraries and support the Bank’s wider education programme.

‘Can’t We Just Print More Money?’ has been written by Rupal Patel, an economist who works in the Bank’s Financial Stability directorate, and Jack Meaning, who works in the Chief Economist’s office. It includes a foreword from the Governor, Andrew Bailey.

Andrew Bailey said: ‘The economy – and economics – is all around us, in the decisions we all make every day at home, at work, or in the shops. Despite this, economics is generally not well understood, and nor are economists. We hope that, as well as being an entertaining and informative read, ‘Can’t We Just Print More Money?’ will help demystify economics and encourage people to learn how we can use it to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing the world today.’

Notes for Editors

1. Cornerstone Press is a new imprint from Penguin Random House, launching in January 2022.
2. The Bank’s education programme includes free classroom resources for primary and secondary school children, covering the basics such as ‘What is Money?’, and an introduction to key economic ideas. The Bank also runs an extensive school speaker programme, delivered across the UK by more than 500 Bank staff. For more details, visit our Education webpage. The Bank also offers an introductory guide to the economy and the work of the Bank on the Knowledge Bank pages of its website.
3. For further information, please contact: Etty Eastwood, Publicity Director, Cornerstone, eeastwood@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk or the Bank of England Press Office press@bankofengland.co.uk.