The End of Progress: How Modern Economics Has Failed Us
To fuel our economic growth, we scrape the planet of its resources, laying waste to more than we build. We do this to satisfy our desire for consumption, to spend ever more. To finance this, many people have borrowed more than they should. So millions have become burdened by debts, income inequalities have widened and many governments owe more than they can ever repay.

All this is the fault of modern economic thinking.

Wrong-headed economics was the cause of the financial crisis. It has brought us a mountain of debt. It has encouraged us to waste the world?s resources without much thought for the consequences. It is behind the rise in individualism and the weakening of many democratic principles. It is the cause of over-population. It has provided China and many other developing countries with a dream that cannot come true. It has even warped our ideas of charity, social responsibility and progress.

Without a rethink, we face the end of growth. We face the end of progress. We face more poverty, greater conflict and rising ill-health. Life expectancies will fall, as will standards of living. In the US and Europe, healthcare, savings and pension promises will be broken. In Africa, Asia and the Middle East hopes for development will not be met. Tensions between peoples will grow.

We need to ditch many modern economic ideas. Notions about the free market, competition, regulation and trade need to be reconsidered. We need a different measure of progress. We need to put ourselves, our societies, back at the core of what we want to achieve.

In this thought-provoking, lively and entertaining book, Graeme Maxton looks at what brought us to this position and how we can shine some light onto the path ahead.

1101905365
The End of Progress: How Modern Economics Has Failed Us
To fuel our economic growth, we scrape the planet of its resources, laying waste to more than we build. We do this to satisfy our desire for consumption, to spend ever more. To finance this, many people have borrowed more than they should. So millions have become burdened by debts, income inequalities have widened and many governments owe more than they can ever repay.

All this is the fault of modern economic thinking.

Wrong-headed economics was the cause of the financial crisis. It has brought us a mountain of debt. It has encouraged us to waste the world?s resources without much thought for the consequences. It is behind the rise in individualism and the weakening of many democratic principles. It is the cause of over-population. It has provided China and many other developing countries with a dream that cannot come true. It has even warped our ideas of charity, social responsibility and progress.

Without a rethink, we face the end of growth. We face the end of progress. We face more poverty, greater conflict and rising ill-health. Life expectancies will fall, as will standards of living. In the US and Europe, healthcare, savings and pension promises will be broken. In Africa, Asia and the Middle East hopes for development will not be met. Tensions between peoples will grow.

We need to ditch many modern economic ideas. Notions about the free market, competition, regulation and trade need to be reconsidered. We need a different measure of progress. We need to put ourselves, our societies, back at the core of what we want to achieve.

In this thought-provoking, lively and entertaining book, Graeme Maxton looks at what brought us to this position and how we can shine some light onto the path ahead.

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The End of Progress: How Modern Economics Has Failed Us

The End of Progress: How Modern Economics Has Failed Us

by Graeme Maxton
The End of Progress: How Modern Economics Has Failed Us

The End of Progress: How Modern Economics Has Failed Us

by Graeme Maxton

eBook

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Overview

To fuel our economic growth, we scrape the planet of its resources, laying waste to more than we build. We do this to satisfy our desire for consumption, to spend ever more. To finance this, many people have borrowed more than they should. So millions have become burdened by debts, income inequalities have widened and many governments owe more than they can ever repay.

All this is the fault of modern economic thinking.

Wrong-headed economics was the cause of the financial crisis. It has brought us a mountain of debt. It has encouraged us to waste the world?s resources without much thought for the consequences. It is behind the rise in individualism and the weakening of many democratic principles. It is the cause of over-population. It has provided China and many other developing countries with a dream that cannot come true. It has even warped our ideas of charity, social responsibility and progress.

Without a rethink, we face the end of growth. We face the end of progress. We face more poverty, greater conflict and rising ill-health. Life expectancies will fall, as will standards of living. In the US and Europe, healthcare, savings and pension promises will be broken. In Africa, Asia and the Middle East hopes for development will not be met. Tensions between peoples will grow.

We need to ditch many modern economic ideas. Notions about the free market, competition, regulation and trade need to be reconsidered. We need a different measure of progress. We need to put ourselves, our societies, back at the core of what we want to achieve.

In this thought-provoking, lively and entertaining book, Graeme Maxton looks at what brought us to this position and how we can shine some light onto the path ahead.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780470830017
Publisher: Wiley
Publication date: 09/07/2011
Sold by: JOHN WILEY & SONS
Format: eBook
Pages: 256
File size: 1 MB

About the Author

Graeme Maxton is an economist, author and presenter, well-known for his punchy, clearly-articulated analysis on global affairs. A freelance contributor to The Economist for many years he also writes for a variety of other publications in Europe and Asia.  He is a frequent host on CNBC’s Squawk Box and Capital Connection and a regular guest on BBC and CNN news programs. He is the co-author of two previous books, Driving Over a Cliff, which was nominated for the Best Book About Business Award, and Time for a Model Change. He is based in Vienna and Singapore.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments xiii

1 It’s About You—You Are Responsible Too 1

Part 1 Our Belief in The Free Market Failed Us 9

2 Too Much Choice, Too Little Restraint 11

Fetch the Tool Box 11

Economics Is Not Rocket Science: It Is Not Even Science 16

How Has Economics Failed Us? Let Me Count the Ways 17

A DVD Player Should Cost More than Lunch 19

For Richer and Poorer 20

3 A Broken Financial System 23

Consumption, Not Love, Was the Drug 23

How Far Is Down? 26

Consumer Debt 27

Bank Debt 32

Government Debt 39

4 Squandering Our World 47

Who Owns the World’s Resources? 47

You Don’t Like These Principles? I Have Others 50

We’ll Know What It’s Worth When It’s Gone 51

Our Rare Earth 52

Seven Billion into Water Won’t Go 54

Laissez-Faire, No Thanks 55

5 The Damaging Power of Me 61

Me, Myself, I 61

The Retreat of Conservatism 63

Kiasu. Bless You 64

Greed Is Not Good, Gordon 65

Part 2 Running Blind—We Are Poorly Equipped to Deal with These Challenges 69

6 Can You Read Kant? 71

Don’t Start from Here 71

Well, Duh! 74

Going My Way? 78

7 Who Is in Charge? 81

Someone Needs to Make Decisions 81

Nothing Is Terrible Except Fear Itself 83

Man Is Born Free but Everywhere Is in Chains 84

Who Is in Charge? 89

8 China’s Rising Influence Will Not Help 93

It Can Get Worse 93

The Dragon Is Awake 94

Of Privileges and Principles 96

There Is Anger Too 100

Be Careful What You Wish For 104

Playing for Power 106

Part 3 The Implications of These Failures Will Be Hard 117

9 We Will Become Financially Poorer 119

But Answers Are Easy, Aren’t They? 120

The Long Tail 121

All Comes Tumbling Down 123

Goodbye Stimulus Packages, Hello Savage State Cutbacks 125

More Air Will Not Work 128

You Need Another Hole in That Belt 129

10 Our Way of Life Will Change 133

In the Energy Battles, No One Will Play Nicely 134

When You Are in a Hole, Keep Digging 138

Shine Some Light on the Problem 146

11 We Will Become Less Healthy 151

How Much Oil Is in That Salad? 154

I’ll Give the Scalpel a Wipe Then 158

Was That a Cough? 159

The Buzz Has Gone 162

12 We Need to Diffuse the Threats of Conflict 169

We Do Things Differently, Don’t You See? 171

The Cupboard Will Soon Be Bare 174

But You Promised! 180

Climate Change Will Bring Threats of Confl ict Too 182

Part 4 Light in an Age of “Endarkenment” 185

13 We Need to Change 187

You Just Need a New Washer, Mate 188

14 Other Options Need Debate 203

From Progress to Poverty 203

Give the Flowers the Power 204

That Pip Squeak? 207

15 You. You Have a Role Now Too 219

Index 223

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