https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/wiki/books/ageofexploration#wiki_pirates - great list of books on piracy.

I assume by "Golden Age of Pirates" you mean the impact of pirates themselves who lived in that time.

The overall impact of their actions was primarily economic. European navies also grew in size and strength to deal with the threat. The economic cost led to wars and invasions.

Though considered at the close of the Golden Age, acts of piracy by English (and Spanish) privateers in the 1720s/1730s had a massive impact on land boundries. Robert Jenkins had been raiding Spanish ships in the Caribbean. The Spanish coast gaurd boarded his ship, seized the cargo, cut off his ear, and set the boat adrift. 8 years later he would speak to Parliment about his ordeal, leading to a declaration of war. The War of Jenkins' Ear would settle the land debate over Georgia (founded in 1733) and its southern boundary lines as well as become a contributer, and ultimately part of, the War of Austrian Succession.

Many of the Golden Age pirates were originally privateers, like Benjamin Hornigold. He would later take a pardon and hunt pirates until his death in a shipwreck, but not before naming Edward Teach - better known as the pirate Blackbeard - as his second. Hornigold, who was chartered by the British, left British merchants alone. Teach and other members of the crew became tired of seeing profit float by so they challenged Hornigold as captain and became proper pirates under Blackbeard. Blackbeard would go on to allegedly bribe NC politician Charles Eden, and - along with his treasurer, Tobias Knight - he was investigated for it. Teach had surrendered to Eden and recieved pardon. Shortly after he returned to the sea and came to port with a full ship, minus crew. He said he found it floating without crew and salvaged it. Eden agreed with the thinly veiled piracy and permitted him to keep the bounty. Later, after Teach's death, a large hold of treasure was found in a barn Tobias Knight owned, which Eden denied any knowledge of. The reputation of the two is still, and will likely forever be, negatively effected by their involvement.

LT Gov Spotswood of Virginia (who would find the Shenandoah Valley with his Knights of the Golden Horseshoe) would gain fame after he sent land and sea forces to capture or kill Teach in NC since Teach had been raiding their merchant ships (while leaving Eden's NC ports alone). Edward Mosely, the N.C. man that would lead the investigation on Eden and Knight, would first lead the ground invasion to his own state. Maynard would corner Teach at Ocracoke Island in November of 1718.

Another unforseen impact, as I often point out, attaches to Ben Franklin. In 1719 at barely 13 years old, the nautical minded Franklin had penned his second public work - A Sailors Song of the Taking of Teach or Blackbeard the Pirate. While it is officially lost to history, a printing later named The Downfall of Piracy is believed by some historians to be that work of Franklin:

The Downfall of Piracy

Will you hear of a bloody Battle, Lately fought upon the Seas, It will make your Ears to rattle, And your Admiration cease; Have you heard of Teach the Rover, And his Knavery on the Main; How of Gold he was a Lover, How he lov'd all ill got Gain.

When the Act of Grace appeared, Captain Teach with all his Men, Unto Carolina steered, Where they kindly us'd him then; There he marry'd to a Lady, And gave her five hundred Pound, But to her he prov'd unsteady, For he soon march'd off the Ground.

And returned, as I tell you, To his Robbery as before, Burning, sinking Ships of value, Filling them with Purple Gore; When he was at Carolina, There the Governor did send, To the Governor of Virginia, That he might assistance lend.

Then the Man of War's Commander, Two small Sloops he fitted out, Fifty Men he put on board, Sir, Who resolv'd to stand it out: The Lieutenant he commanded both the Sloops, and you shall hear, How before he landed, He suppress'd them without Fear.

Valiant Maynard as he sailed, Soon the Pirate did espy, With his Trumpet he then hailed, And to him they did reply: Captain Teach is our Commander, Maynard said, he is the Man, Whom I am resolv'd to hang Sir, Let him do the best he can.

Teach reply'd unto Maynard, You no Quarters here shall see, But be hang'd on the Main-yard, You and all your Company; Maynard said, I none desire, Of such Knaves as thee and thine, None I'll give, Teach then replyed, My Boys, give me a Glass of Wine.

He took the Glass, and drank Damnation, Unto Maynard and his Crew; To himself and Generation, Then the Glass away he threw; Brave Maynard was resolv'd to have him, Tho' he'd Cannons nine or ten: Teach a broadside quickly gave him, Killing sixteen valiant Men.

Maynard boarded him, and to it They fell with Sword and Pistol too; They had Courage, and did show it, Killing the Pirate's Crew. Teach and Maynard on the Quarter, Fought it out most manfully, Maynard's Sword did cut him shorter, Losing his Head, he there did die.

Every Sailor fought while he Sir, Power had to weild [sic] the Sword, Not a Coward could you see Sir, Fear was driven from aboard: Wounded Men on both Sides fell Sir, 'Twas a doleful Sight to see, Nothing could their Courage quell Sir, O, they fought courageously.

When the bloody Fight was over, We're inform'd by a Letter writ, Teach's Head was made a Cover, To the Jack Staff of the Ship: Thus they sailed to Virginia, And when they the Story told, How they kill'd the Pirates many, They'd Applause from young and old.

Whatever words he wrote, the street poem was widely popular and the response gave the young Franklin an early inspiration for writing. His next major contribution, the Dogood Letters, were written only a few years later in 1722.

There were additional effects, some being in the far east, but I am not familiar enough with them to be informative.