The growth delusion
Subtitle: wealth, poverty, and the well-being of nations
By: David Pilling
Edition: First U.S. edition.
Publisher: Tim Duggan Books
Published: 2018
Language: eng
Number of pages: 291
ISBN-13: 9780525572503
Copyright date: 2018
Subjects: Economic development; Poverty; Wealth
Description: "A provocative critique of the pieties and fallacies of our obsession with economic growth We live in a society in which a priesthood of economists, wielding impenetrable mathematical formulas, set the framework for public debate. Ultimately, it is the perceived health of the economy which determines how much we can spend on our schools, highways, and defense; economists decide how much unemployment is acceptable and whether it is right to print money or bail out profligate banks. The backlash we are currently witnessing suggests that people are turning against the experts and their faulty understanding of our lives. Despite decades of steady economic growth, many citizens feel more pessimistic than ever, and are voting for candidates who voice undisguised contempt for the technocratic elite. For too long, economics has relied on a language which fails to resonate with people's lived experience, and we are now living with the consequences. In this powerful, incisive book, David Pilling reveals the hidden biases of economic orthodoxy and explores the alternatives to GDP, from measures of wealth, equality, and sustainability to measures of subjective wellbeing. Authoritative, provocative, and eye-opening,The Growth Delusion offers witty and unexpected insights into how our society can respond to the needs of real people instead of pursuing growth at any cost"--

"A provocative critique of the pieties and fallacies of our obsession with economic growth"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 259-280) and index.
Table of contents: title: The cult of growth; title: Part one. The problems with growth; title: Kuznet's monster; title: The wages of sin; title: The good, the bad, and the invisible; title: Too much of a good thing; title: The internet stole my GDP; title: What's wrong with the average Joe; title: Part two. Growth and the developing world; title: Elephants and rhubarb; title: Growthmanship; title: Black power, green power; title: Part three. Beyond growth; title: Wealth; title: A modern Domesday; title: The lord of happiness; title: GDP 2.0; title: The growth conclusion.