ABSTRACT

Economics sometimes seems to be stacked against social, environmental and individual well-being. But it doesn't have to be like this. A new approach to economics - deriving as much from Ruskin and Schumacher as from Keynes or Smith - has begun to emerge. Skeptical about money as a measure of success, this new economics turns our assumptions about wealth and poverty upside down. It shows us that real wealth can be measured by increased well-being and environmental sustainability rather than just having and consuming more things. This book is the first accessible and straightforward guide to the new economics. It describes the problems and bizarre contradictions in conventional economics as well as the principles of the emerging new economics, and it tells the real-world stories of how new economics is being successfully put into practice around the world. An essential guide to understanding new economics for all those who care about making economics work for people and planet.

chapter |16 pages

The Economic Problem

chapter |14 pages

No Wealth but Life

A Brief History of the New Economics

chapter |18 pages

Measurement

Why Did an Apparently Poor Pacific Island Hit the Top of the Happy Planet Index?

chapter |15 pages

Money

Why did China Pay for the Iraq War?

chapter |12 pages

Markets

Why has London Traffic Always Travelled at 12mph?

chapter |14 pages

Resources

Why are Cuban Mechanics the Best in the World?

chapter |13 pages

Trade

Why Does Britain Import the Same Number of Chocolate Waffles as it Exports?

chapter |12 pages

Community

Why Do Fewer People Vote when there is a Wal-mart Nearby?

chapter |15 pages

Debt

Why are Malawi Villagers Paying the Mortgages of Surbiton Stockbrokers?

chapter |10 pages

The Future