The Best Business Writing 2012 reflects the year's most intriguing reporting and rigorous investigative journalism at a time of dramatic economic crisis and upheaval. Covering bad business behavior, the intersection of politics and money, and big-picture analysis, the volume fills a longstanding gap for those seeking diverse, enriching, and lively perspectives on the business world.

This year's selections include Rolling Stone's profile of Don Blankenship and his brutal tenure as CEO of Massey Energy; the Guardian's groundbreaking and courageous investigation into the News of the World phone-hacking scandal and its indictment of the Rupert Murdoch media empire; and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's poignant account of the fatal consequences of federal deregulation in health and medicine. Two searing pieces on the ongoing mortgage scandal, one a hard look at the role of Merrill Lynch in inflating the housing bubble for its own gain and so bringing about its own destruction, and the other a detailed breakdown of Countrywide's malfeasance, provide critical context for the financial crisis; while articles on recoveries in Norway, Germany, and elsewhere examine the global recession. Additional articles tackle bank fees and bailouts, the Buffett Rule, the influence of the corporate lobby, the legacy of Alan Greenspan, and the future of the American auto industry, and provide intimate looks behind the scenes of such companies as Pfizer, Google, and IKEA.