As an ongoing feature, staff members at the Des Moines Public Library will recommend a business-related book to add to your reading list. Find this and more books like it at any of the Des Moines Public Library’s six locations and online at dmpl.org. And find information on how to get a FREE library card and all its benefits at dmpl.org/get-carded.

Des Moines Public Library business book pick: “The Voltage Effect: How to Make Good Ideas Great and Great Ideas Scale” by John A. List.

Why you should read it: In this 2022 bestseller, University of Chicago economist John A. List expands on the “scale” buzzword that dominates the startup world. List says translating any idea into one with much larger impact depends on only one concept: whether or not it can achieve what he calls “high voltage,” or the ability to be replicated at scale. The book walks through examples of scalable ideas, identifying common attributes across many industries and businesses of all sizes.