From Nobel Prize-winning economist Jean Tirole a bold new agenda for the role of economics in society When Jean Tirole won the 2014 Nobel Prize in Economics he suddenly found himself being stopped in the street by complete strangers & asked to comment on issues of the day no matter how distant from his own areas of research His transformation from academic economist to public intellectual prompted him to reflect further on the role economists & their discipline play in society The result is Economics for the Common Good a passionate manifesto for a world in which economics far from being a dismal science is a positive force for the common good Economists are rewarded for writing technical papers in scholarly journals not joining in public debates But Tirole says we urgently need economists to engage with the many challenges facing society helping to identify our key objectives & the tools needed to meet them To show how economics can help us realize the common good Tirole shares his insights on a broad array of questions affecting our everyday lives & the future of our society including global warming unemployment the post-2008 global financial order the Euro crisis the digital revolution innovation & the proper balance between the free market & regulation Providing a rich account of how economics can benefit everyone Economics for the Common Good sets a new agenda for the role of economics in society