Le sirene dell'economia. Come i potenti ci incantano e ci illudono: il potere della parola e la parola del potere

Figures, official statements and economic news often represent our key to understanding the world. Yet their language is often obscure, difficult to understand even for those who formulate it. The ambiguity of economic and financial discourse thus becomes a tool for hiding one's incompetence or justifying questionable choices. Danio Maldussi and Francesco Mercadante lift the veil on how governments, institutions and the media, both past and present, have been influenced by figures full of inconsistencies, assumptions and uncertainties. They show how economic illiteracy, propaganda and ambiguity can make two opposing statements seem true, or render policies based on distorted data ineffective. Through stories ranging from the absurd to the worrying, Le sirene dell'economia reveals the ambiguity of economic language, but also how – once we understand the linguistic mechanisms behind certain statements – we can make more informed choices about who to trust, and when.