The Good, The Bad, and The Economy - Does Human Nature Rule Out a Better World?
There have been many utopian theories of economics, but the human element is often the most volatile one.  "The Good, The Bad, and the Economy: Does Human Nature Rule Out a Better World?" discusses the economy and its failures due to the human natures in many economic systems, as Louis Putterman holds that human nature is often the biggest obstacle to a better tomorrow.  With plenty to ponder on the ideas of human nature and inequality, "The Good, The Bad, and the Economy" is a solid and very much recommended read for social issues collections.- The Midwest Book Review''Why are some countries rich, while others are poor? Why are we humans such confusing mixtures of selfishness and generosity? Are we really driven by rational pursuit of our personal advantage? In this book, the distinguished economist Louis Putterman combines clear writing, delicious anecdotes, and masses of evidence to answer these biggest questions facing our world.'' -- Jared Diamond, a Professor of Geography at UCLA, is the Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of books includingGuns, Germs, and SteelandCollapse.''As a young man, Putterman wondered why, despite centuries of expanding of knowledge and material abundance, personal insecurity and material deprivation remain the human condition for so many. Now a top scholar in fields as diverse as ancient societies and the science of economic behavior Putterman provides an answer, one written for the non-specialist in accessible non technical prose.The Good the Bad and the Economyis a case of the right question by the right author. Read it.'' - Samuel Bowles, Research Professor and Director of the Behavioral Sciences Program, Santa Fe Institute and co-author ofA Cooperative Species: Human Reciprocity and its Evolution(Princeton University Press, 2011)''Some of the most interesting but puzzling questions facing us today have been addressed by Professor Louis Putterman in this excellent and accessible book entitled,The Good, the Bad, and the Economy. Louis Putterman is a very thoughtful scholar and I strongly recommend this book.'' - Elinor Ostrom, Research Professor, School of Human Evolution & Social Change, Arizona State University, and Distinguished Professor, Indiana University, Co-winner of the 2009 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science''The 'dismal science' deserves a humane face. It needs to connect better with human psychology, and especially with the values of a group living primate, which is what we evolved to be. Louis Putterman offers an excellent, well-written justification for an economics that takes the basic needs of our species into account.'' - --Frans de Waal, C. H. Candler Professor of Primate Behavior, Emory University, and Director of Living Links, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, author ofThe Age of EmpathyandOur Inner Ape