Social Limits to Growth / Edition 2

by Fred Hirsch

Overview

The promise of economic growth which has dominated society for so long has reached an impasse. In his classic analysis, Fred Hirsch argued that the causes of this were essentially social rather than physical. Affluence brings its own problems. As societies become richer, an increasing proportion of the extra goods and services created are not available to everybody. Material affluence does not make for a better society.

Fred Hirsch's classic exposition of the social limits to growth manages to connect many of the apparently disparate factors that blight modern life: alienation at work and deteriorating cities as well as inflation and unemployment.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415119580
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	03/16/1978
Edition description:	Revised
Pages:	226
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Fred Hirsch was formerly Professor of International studies at the University of Warwick, UK. He died in 1978.

Table of Contents

Forward by Tibor Scitovsky. 1. Introduction Part I. The Neglected Realm of Social Scarcity 2. A Duality in the Growth Potential 3. The Material Economy and the Positional Economy 4. The Ambiguity of Economic Output Part II. The Commercialization Bias 5. The Economics of Bad Neighbours 6. The New Commodity Fetishism 7. A First Summary: The Hole in the Affluent Society Part III. The Depleting Moral Legacy 8. An Overload on the Mixed Economy 9. Political Keynesianism and the Managed Market 10. The Moral Re-entry 11. The Lost Legitimacy and the Distributional Compulsion Part IV. Perspective and Conclusions 12. The Liberal Market as a Transition Case 13. Inferences for Policy

Editorial Reviews

'Important books are rare. They are all the more welcome when they appear; and one need have no hesitation in naming as a classic Fred Hirsch’s new analysis of the inherent defects of the market economy as an instrument of human amelioration.' - Peter Jay, The Times

'An exceptionally interesting, original, and well-written book on one of the most important themes: what are the fruits of economic growth and why do they seem increasingly disappointing?' - The Economic Journal

'This highly original book makes a compelling argument that affluence, by creating a kind of congestion (much more than simple crowding), limits the welfare attainable by society as a whole.' - Foreign Affairs

'Important books are rare. They are all the more welcome when they appear; and one need have no hesitation in naming as a classic Fred Hirsch’s new analysis of the inherent defects of the market economy as an instrument of human amelioration.' - Peter Jay, The Times

'An exceptionally interesting, original, and well-written book on one of the most important themes: what are the fruits of economic growth and why do they seem increasingly disappointing?' - The Economic Journal

'This highly original book makes a compelling argument that affluence, by creating a kind of congestion (much more than simple crowding), limits the welfare attainable by society as a whole.' - Foreign Affairs

From the Publisher