Timur Kuran Livres

Freedoms Delayed is written for educated readers interested in the deep historical forces that account for the Middle East's poor record on basic human freedoms. It shows that the region's traditional institutions are critical to both understanding its political history and identifying its potential for liberalization on various fronts.

Preference falsification, as defined by economist Timur Kuran, involves misrepresenting one's true preferences due to perceived social pressures. This phenomenon is common in daily life, such as feigning enjoyment of unappetizing food at a dinner party. Kuran argues that preference falsification is not only widespread but also has significant social and political implications. Drawing from various fields—economics, psychology, sociology, and political science—he presents a unified theory illustrating how this behavior influences collective decision-making, drives structural change, maintains social stability, distorts human knowledge, and hides political possibilities. A notable consequence is the preservation of unpopular structures and the illusion of stability in systems that are actually fragile. When support for a policy or regime is largely artificial, minor events can trigger significant, unexpected changes. Additionally, preference falsification skews public opinion and corrupts discourse, leading to a distorted understanding of reality. Over time, structures upheld by this phenomenon may gain genuine acceptance. The book explores how human knowledge and social systems co-evolve in unpredictable ways, often lacking social efficiency, while using its theoretical framework to shed light on various social phenomena, including the fall of communism and the persistence of India's caste system.

The doctrine of 'Islamic economics' entered debates over the social role of Islam in the mid-twentieth century. Since then it has pursued the goal of restructuring economies according to perceived Islamic teachings. This book argues that the doctrine of Islamic economics is simplistic, incoherent, and largely irrelevant to economic challenges.