The best books of 2019 on how we can rethink today's capitalism and improve the economy

W. W. Norton & Company, Simon & Schuster, W. W. Norton & Company

• There has been a growing movement among both corporate leaders and politicians for improving capitalism as it's been practiced in America the past several decades, for the sake of reducing inequality, sparking economic growth, and ensuring sustainable future.
• We've selected our favorite books of the year exploring various elements of this discussion.
• This article is part of Business Insider's ongoing series on Better Capitalism.
• Visit BI Prime for more stories.

When the Business Roundtable, the lobbying group of about 200 CEOs of America's largest companies, released a statement denouncing shareholder primacy and instead focusing on a "stakeholder approach" to running their businesses, it could be easy to write it as just another press release.

And while the statement was vague enough to lack teeth, that doesn't mean it was pointless. Instead, it was a high-profile acknowledgement of a growing movement against a way of doing business in the United States that has reigned for over 40 years.

Business Insider has been covering that movement for the past couple years with our Better Capitalism series, exploring elements of it like wealth and income inequality, sustainability, and the role of a corporation in society. As the discussion around these topics grows more impassioned, and includes more corporate leaders and politicians, there has been a constant flow of great books about them.

We've collected our favorites of the year.