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Jacob Soll
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Jacob Soll

University Professor of Philosophy, History & Accounting, University of Southern California

Jacob Soll is university professor of philosophy, history and accounting at the University of Southern California.

Professor Soll's work explores the origins of modern states and markets, and the ideas and historical figures behind their development.

He has documented the importance of modern accounting techniques in facilitating the development of modern economies, markets, and states & the social consequences of straying from strong principles of accounting.

His book, The Reckoning: Financial Accountability and the Rise and Fall of Nations, sheds light on the role good - and bad - accounting has played in the rise of fall of empires, corporations, and even the famed Medici banking family of Italy. The book examines the role poor accounting practices have played in causing many of the problems which afflict society today.

His research has won him numerous accolades including the 2005 Jacques Barzun Prize in Cultural History, the 2009 Guggenheim Fellowship, the 2011 MacArthur Fellowship, the 2011 National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, and the 2017 National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship, among others.

He has advised the European Commission, the Government’s of Greece, Portugal, and Spain, & U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

He has met with political and financial leaders across the globe to promote accounting standards and financial transparency.

He holds a Ph.D. from Magdalene College, Cambridge University and a D.E.A. from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales in Paris, France.

Expertise Sought By: Investment Banks, National Wealth Funds, Private Sector Enterprises, Governments Seeking To Strengthen Public Finances, Think Tanks, Schools of Business, Private Equity Firms, Pension Funds, Asset Managers, Ratings Agencies, Monetary & Fiscal Policy-Makers.

Topics
State Building · Market Building · Renaissance and Enlightenment Intellectual History · The History of Banking · Finance · Stock Markets · Financial Crises · Free Markets & Free Market Thought · Accounting · The History of Economic Thought · History of Political Thought · The Role of Information in the Development of Modern States · The Development of Financial Markets · Public Financial Management · Addressing Sovereign Debt Crises · Improving Standards of Accounting & Fiscal Management of Public Institutions · Investment Banks · National Wealth Funds · Private Sector Enterprises · Governments Seeking To Strengthen Public Finances · Think Tanks · Schools of Business · Private Equity Firms · Pension Funds · Asset Managers · Ratings Agencies · Monetary & Fiscal Policy-Makers.

Books9

  • “Colbert emerges from [Soll’s] pages not only as the patron saint of modern bureaucrats, but as a forceful--if somewhat repellent--personality, and as another of the great early modern figures who sought to gain unprecedented knowledge of, and mastery over, the material world.“Colbert emerges from [Soll’s] pages not only as the patron saint of modern bureaucrats, but as a forceful--if somewhat repellent--personality, and as another of the great early modern figures who sought to gain unprecedented knowledge of, and mastery over, the material world.
  • — The New Republic— The New Republic
  • "Mr. Soll spices his story with big historical personalities.... [He] earns high marks for brevity...as well as for scholarship.""Mr. Soll spices his story with big historical personalities.... [He] earns high marks for brevity...as well as for scholarship."
  • ―Wall Street Journal―Wall Street Journal
  • “There is much to be learned relevant to current policy debates from Jacob Soll’s engaging history of the free market idea.”“There is much to be learned relevant to current policy debates from Jacob Soll’s engaging history of the free market idea.”
  • —Larry Summers, United States Secretary of the Treasury (1999 - 2001) & Director of the National Economic Council from (2009 - 2010)—Larry Summers, United States Secretary of the Treasury (1999 - 2001) & Director of the National Economic Council from (2009 - 2010)2010
  • “This book is a call for sensible change. It should be answered.”“This book is a call for sensible change. It should be answered.”
  • — Martin Wolf, Chief Economic Commentator, Financial Times— Martin Wolf, Chief Economic Commentator, Financial Times
  • 2024 Best Summer Books - The Financial Times2024 Best Summer Books - The Financial Times2024

Talks & video7

Selected publications3

  1. There Is A Secret Hamiltonian In The White House. New York Times.
  2. Greece’s Accounting Problem. New York Times.
  3. No Accounting Skills? No Moral Reckoning. New York Times.

Positions & affiliations4

  • University Professor of Philosophy, History, & Accounting, University of Southern California (USC).
  • Has Advised the European Commission, the Governments of Portugal, Spain, and Greece, & U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
  • Teaching Positions at Cambridge University, Princeton University, Rutgers University, and the European University Institute.
  • Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of St. Gallen.