In '' The Silent Takeover : Global Capitalism and the Death of Democracy '' Hertz warned that unregulated markets , corporate greed , and over-powerful financial institutions would have serious global consequences that would impact most heavily on the ordinary citizen . Hertz received a record six-figure advance from Random House for the book which , in pre-publicity , she promised would " make economics sexy . " Although the book became a bestseller , it was not well-received when first published . Francis Beckett , for '' The Independent '' , later observed that the book " was lavishly praised and savagely attacked in equal measure " but had nevertheless " launched her as a new sort of thinker - the first prominent British radical left winger to come out of the business schools . " Howard Davies , reviewing it for London 's '' The Guardian '' newspaper , dismissed it as " globaloney " , written in " a style beloved of airport-newsstand business books : random statistic piled on borrowed anecdote , larded with a bit of homespun cod philosophy , shaken not stirred . " Tariq Ali , for '' The Independent '' , called the book " well-intentioned " but " a much milder version of three more vigorous North American texts that have already achieved cult status " ( Naomi Klein 's '' No Logo '' , Thomas Frank 's '' One Market Under God '' and Kalle Lasn 's '' Culture Jam '' . ) Ali characterised it as neoliberal , " Third Way anti-capitalism " and concluded " What Hertz really wants is a government that can unite business interests with those of ordinary people - like expecting homoeopathic drops to cure a cancer . " Will Self described the book as " superficially readable " but was critical of Hertz 's ideology , calling it " an aggressive questioning of the pernicious status quo , but with only a febrile grasp on any potential solution - what used to be expected of a precocious adolescent , rather than a Cambridge assistant professor entering her mid-thirties . " Frank Fitzgibbon , for '' The Sunday Times '' , described it as " well-written , colourful and sometimes entertaining " but ultimately " one long whinge , full of hackneyed observations ... like a 212-page '' Guardian '' editorial on the venality of politicians , the evils of big business and the right-on credentials of concerned citizens . " Responding to the book 's advance publicity which said '' The Silent Takeover '' " provides a new and startling take on the way we live now " , Fitzgibbon observed : " With the possible exception of a quote from Bhutan 's king , Jigme Singye Wangchuck - " gross national happiness is more important than gross national product " - there is nothing in this book that is not already known to anybody with a passing interest in business and current affairs . It has all been said before but , to her credit , Hertz says it with style and with her telegenic looks she should be in demand on the chat-show circuit . " Jennifer Szalai , for the '' New Statesman '' , wrote that the book was " at best , an anaemic objection to global capitalism " and pointed out : " For anybody who has read anything about corporations beyond their annual reports ... the examples in this book are nothing new . " Szalai described Hertz 's " line of argument " as " a listless string of tired phrases , exposing her apparent ambivalence on the subject . " '' IOU : The Debt Threat and Why We Must Defuse It '' comprised a study of debt in developing countries and provided Hertz 's blueprint for development . Paul Kingsnorth , reviewing for the '' New Statesman '' , wrote : " Noreena is the Joanne Harris of political writing - and '' IOU '' , like its author , is all style and no substance . " Kingsnorth said that her explanation of the debt issue was : " All fine , but also largely redundant , because this stuff has been circulating for years , and Hertz adds nothing new to the mix . " He also found sections of the book " misleading " and noted that " her old employer the World Bank emerges with a curiously positive report card from a book about a problem it created almost single-handedly . The bank 's former chief economist Larry Summers is represented as a passionate champion of the poor . Perhaps Hertz is not aware of the infamous internal memo that was leaked from the bank , in which this angelic man wrote : '' I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest-wage country is impeccable and we should face up to that ... I 've always thought that underpopulated countries in Africa are vastly underpolluted ... '' " He dismissed the book as simply " going through the motions " and " remarkably bad writing . " Richard Adams , for '' The Guardian '' , wrote : " There is nothing here that will surprise readers of Susan George 's 1988 book '' A Fate Worse than Debt '' , which remains the most forceful call for undoing the burden of the developing world . " Hertz 's proposed solutions were , he wrote , not well defined . " Some of her suggestions are patronising - setting up panels of international " overseers " for aid funding is a bit rich given her diatribes against external IMF and World Bank meddling - while one is downright dangerous : that wealthy nations hypothecate the taxes paid by immigrant workers for use as overseas aid ( so removing their last shield against the xenophobe or racist , that they too pay taxes for the NHS ) . " Adams also found the book " littered with errors ... that smack of economic illiteracy and careless research . " Of her style , he observed : " Readers may also be unimpressed with Hertz 's informal prose style and strangled syntax ... The first chapter , especially , reads like a rejected screenplay for an unhappy episode of '' The West Wing '' . " Adams concluded his review by writing : " While no one can doubt Hertz 's good intentions , the road to hell is paved with books like '' IOU '' . Developing-world debt is a serious issue , and it deserves more judicious treatment than this . " Diane Coyle , for '' The Independent '' , called '' IOU '' " another pamphlet disguised as a book " and opined that " It pretends to weigh up the details and evidence , but its tone implies that anyone who disagrees is stupid or bad ... HIV/Aids , the loss of Amazon rainforests and terrorism are not caused by these debts , which is the facile claim Hertz makes . " Desmond Tutu credited the book with a " remarkable clarity " and said it " puts forward clear recommendations that can and must be taken . " Writing for the '' New Statesman '' he declared : " '' IOU '' should not go unnoticed . When the truth is told about international debt , then we can begin to overcome the scandalous debt slavery of the world 's poor . " Hannah Betts , for '' The Times '' , labelled the book " more than liberal breast-beating - it endeavours to be a psychology of debt ... Without ever falling into the pat illiberalisms that the West brought 9/11 and its aftermath on itself , Hertz discusses the ways in which terrorism , disease and ecological meltdown may be the consequences of Third World stagnation . " '' Eyes Wide Open '' " takes issue with the rise and rise of unchecked data , and suggests simple solutions to allow her readers to take control of their lives . " The book has received praise from prominent social psychologists and best-selling authors , including Robert Cialdini , author of '' Influence '' . He writes ; " With 10 sensible steps to take , Noreena Hertz charts a sound decision-making route for us through a world in hyper-drive . I ’d recommend a prudent first step-get this book " . John Crace , reviewing for '' The Guardian '' , wrote : " Every week , another 150 self-help books are published . How do you know this one is any different from the others ? It is n't . " He summarised the book as " Eyes fast closing . " '' The Guardian 's '' media commentator , ' Media Monkey ' , wrote : " Assuming he follows his wife 's tips , Danny Cohen will usually sport noise-reducing headphones ; use a meditation app to gauge his own feelings ; avoid having to make distracting non-important choices by always buying-eating-wearing-doing the same thing ; go for lots of pre-crunchtime walks ; ensure he 's neither sex - nor sleep-starved ; and only take decisions on a full stomach and bladder . A potentially problematic requirement for someone whose job entails scores of decisions a day . " Toby Young , for the '' Mail on Sunday '' , wrote : " Her aim is to alert us to myriad ways in which irrational factors influence our decisions . Some suggestions fall into the category of the ' bleedin ' obvious ' - we 're told not to follow the crowd and to get second and third opinions on our health - but for the most part , her advice is excellent and surprising . " Daisy Goodwin , for the '' Sunday Times '' , wrote : " A lthough it is written in the adjective - and bulletpoint-heavy style of the airport book , it is actually a practical guide to critical thinking in the digital age that is as useful for students as it is for CEOs . " Despite finding the book " slightly exhausting " , she concluded it was " an admirable guide to predicting the factors that affect our decision-making . " Julian Baggini , for the '' Financial Times '' , was more critical , observing : " T he more confidently a book claims to help you make better choices , the less it is likely to do so . Noreena Hertz 's '' Eyes Wide Open '' is a case in point . Reading it , I did , indeed , often find myself wide-eyed , startled by its bold , simplistic claims . There is a need for a synthesis of the many insights gathered by recent research into cognitive biases and the other often hidden processes that shape our decisions . Unfortunately for Hertz , the distinguished psychologist Daniel Kahneman has already written it . His '' Thinking , Fast and Slow '' ( 2011 ) is sober , measured , rigorous and practical , all things '' Eyes Wide Open '' is not ... Hertz ends up sounding like a physician who is not just unable to heal herself but intent on ingesting all the toxins she warns others about . " In 2015 Professor Hertz began researching what she has called Generation K - 13 - to 20-year-olds . K is for Katniss Everdeen , the feisty heroine of the global franchise The Hunger Games . Noreena presented her initial thinking on Generation K in 2015 at the World Economic Forum and at the '' Women in the World Summit '' in New York City . Here she unveiled results from her 2015 study of 2000 American and British Teenagers . Key findings include that this Generation is more anxious than previous ones , more intent on being unique , and more concerned about inequality . She posits that they have been profoundly shaped not only by technology but also by the recession and an increasing sense of existential threat . She writes " unlike those currently aged between 20 and 30 , the “ Yes we can ” generation , who grew up believing the world was their oyster , for Generation K the world is less oyster , more Hobbesian nightmare . " Generation K ( also known as " Gen K " or Post-Millennials ) is the term given to the age group born between 1994 and 2005 . The label was coined by author , economist and strategist Professor Noreena Hertz who is one of the world ’s most foremost researchers on this demographic . She first mooted her initial findings on Generation K at the World Economic Forum in Davos in 2015 . Hertz defines this generation as having been profoundly shaped by three global forces : the rapid development of technology – this is the first smartphone generation , the worst recession the West faced in decades , and the increased existential threat from evolving terrorist groups . According to her , distinct traits of Generation K include anxiety , loneliness , a desire for connection , a desire to co-create , a commitment to societal equality , anti-traditional institutions , commitment to the environment and fear about their own financial futures . Professor Hertz ’s research into Generation K has been discussed in publications including The Guardian , The Financial Times , El Pais , The Washington Post , The Daily Telegraph , Campaign , The Huffington Post , and Newsweek In 2009 , Hertz was appointed Professor and chair of Globalisation , Sustainability and Finance at the Rotterdam School of Management , Erasmus University and the Duisenberg School of Finance
9/11
September 11 attacks
Noreena Hertz