Doom cover art

Doom

The Politics of Catastrophe

 Preview
Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Doom

By: Niall Ferguson
Narrated by: Niall Ferguson
Try Standard free

Auto-renews at $8.99/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $33.99

Buy Now for $33.99

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Disasters are inherently hard to predict. But when catastrophe strikes, we ought to be better prepared than the Romans were when Vesuvius erupted or medieval Italians when the Black Death struck. We have science on our side, after all. Yet the responses of many developed countries to a new pathogen from China were badly bungled. Why?

While populist rulers certainly performed poorly in the face of the pandemic, Niall Ferguson argues that more profound pathologies were at work - pathologies already visible in our responses to earlier disasters.

Drawing from multiple disciplines, including economics and network science, Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe offers not just a history but a general theory of disaster. As Ferguson shows, governments must learn to become less bureaucratic and more 'antifragile' if we are to avoid the impending doom of irreversible decline.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Niall Ferguson (P)2021 Penguin Audio Disaster Relief Political Science Politics & Government Social Sciences Middle Ages
All stars
Most relevant
I thoroughly enjoyed this very scholarly work. Absolutely fascinating. Very well written and read. A subject that deserves more attention and exposure.

Brilliant.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Despite being written in August 2020 Ferguson provides perspective to Covid pandemic. As all evidence indicates that Covid emanated from China as most other viruses such as SARS, the 1957/58 Asian flu etc did one has to stand up for democratic values and not bend to a one world power system under President Xi. Inevitably as Ferguson points out we are entering a new Cold War with a much cleverer enemy than Soviet Russia. Essential reading for all those who wish to live in a Democracy.

Excellent as always

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I enjoyed it but if I had been reading rather than listening I doubt I would have got into it. At half the length it would still be too long.

Very interesting but way too long

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Am intensive book and needs time to absorb but makes its case well . Worth a read

Intensive and illuminating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I am a fan of Niall Ferguson's earlier work, but this book felt very long and lacked an original theme and perspective.

A long series of facts and historical cases

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.