The Growth Illusion
How economic growth has enriched the few, impoverished the many and endangered the planet

Douthwaite, Richard

Publisher: New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, Canada
Year First Published: {12001 The Growth Illusion GROWTH ILLUSION How economic growth has enriched the few, impoverished the many and endangered the planet Douthwaite, Richard New Society Publishers Gabriola Island Canada Douthwaite argues that strategies used by governments to raise national income often increase poverty and unemployment. Moreover, in the USA, Britiain, Germany and Australia, each increase in national income consumes more resources than it creates on a sustainable basis. In other words, these economies are running backwards and making their citizens worse off. 1992 1999 386pp BC12001-TheGrowthIllusion.jpg B Book 0-86571-396-0 - Table of Contents Graphs and Illustrations Acknowledgments Foreword by David C. Korten Introduction A new way of looking at economic growth is emerging which will radically adjust the way we treat the natural world. 1. Quality or Quantity? Politicians often promise to raise our standard of living. What they do not say is that this will inescapably reduce the quality of our lives. 2. Why Capitalism Needs Growth 3. Capitalism cannot survive without growth. Firms are compelled to expand to avoid collapse. In the world up to 1914, this compulsion built empires, destroyed indigenous cultures and, finally, led to world war. 4. The Benefits of War and Depression Major advances in the living conditions of the British people resulted from two world wars, the depressions of the twenties and thirties and the fiercely redistributive policies of the 1945 Labour government. Whenever growth appeared, life for the majority got worse. 5. Mrs Thatcher and the Struggle Against Inflation Because Mrs. Thatcher had mistaken ideas about the evils of inflation and sought to accelerate growth by improving investor's returns, her three governments engineered a major shift in the distribution of incomes and wealth in favour of the better-off. 6. Ned Ludd Was Right The growth process perverts the national economy within which it works. It causes unemployment and yet makes labor less affordable. It enables the concentration of economic power and requires ever-higher shares of national income to be spent by the state. 7. Growth and the National Health It was not until 1955 that accelerating the growth rate became the major British economic obsession. Since then, the methods used to generate higher levels of output have caused a large increase in chronic illness. 8. How Growth Damaged Family and Community Life All the indicators of the quality of life show that this deteriorated in Britain between the '50s and the end of the '80s shows that the process brought very few benefits at all. 9. What Has All the Growth Done? Has growth kept its promises? An examination of the changes in Britain between the '50s and the end of the '80s show that the process brought very few benefits at all. 10. Growth Must Have a Stop Because their need for growth forces firms to adopt new technologies before their impact can be assessed, environmental disasters such as the large-scale release of CFCs and PCBs are inevitable. Innovations must only be permitted when it is clear that society and the environment will benefit. 11. Growth in the Greenhouse Politicians are more concerned about maintaining conditions in which economic growth is possible than holding the world's climate unchanged. 12. The Dutch Dilemma Continuing to grow economically is neither necessary for the wellbeing of the Dutch people nor desirable for their environment. They are, however, both unwilling and unable to bring the process to a stop. 13. The Mahatma's Message India has found that industrialization has created many more problems than it has solved and there is a growing group of people who would like to see Mahatma Gandhi's put-the-weakest-first policies used instead. 14. De Valera's Dream Ireland made economic growth its priority in the late 1950s. At first it raised its people's incomes by introducing labor-saving technologies and sending those whom the process makes redundant to live overseas. More recently, it has denied the large numbers of people a fair share of the higher incomes produced by growth by keeping their wage rates down. 15. The Myth of Sustainable Growth The only sustainable society is a stable society- there is no such thing as sustainable growth. What are the principles on which such a society can be built? In particular, how can we stabilize world population? 16. Guiding the Invisible Hand Morality lost almost all control over the direction of economic change after Adam Smith's concept of the 'invisible hand' gained acceptance. If the world is to have a bright future, morality must govern our actions against. Epilogue Notes Bibliography Index CX6141 1 false true false CX6141.htm [0xc000d3f7a0 0xc000dcd980 0xc001746ea0 0xc001a89b30 0xc001f0f470 0xc001f68330 0xc00256a840 0xc00015b770 0xc000242c90 0xc000482c60 0xc00064bb00 0xc0001d0e10 0xc0003aade0 0xc0003bc690 0xc0004425d0 0xc00068ae70 0xc00209aab0 0xc000a9bec0 0xc0009e40c0 0xc0009e44b0 0xc0009e4b10 0xc0009fb950 0xc0001cacf0 0xc00091e750 0xc000976cc0 0xc000be1bc0 0xc000c165a0 0xc000143710 0xc001108f60 0xc000625fb0 0xc000ae96b0 0xc001121440 0xc0015f3800 0xc0009edbc0 0xc0010e2660 0xc0003dc960 0xc00088e4b0 0xc000ed17a0 0xc000f0fe30 0xc001003b00 0xc001841cb0 0xc0019a37a0 0xc001a24a20] Cx}
Year Published: 1999
Pages: 386pp ISBN: 0-86571-396-0
Resource Type: Book
Cx Number: CX6141

Douthwaite argues that strategies used by governments to raise national income often increase poverty and unemployment. Moreover, in the USA, Britiain, Germany and Australia, each increase in national income consumes more resources than it creates on a sustainable basis. In other words, these economies are running backwards and making their citizens worse off.

Abstract:
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Table of Contents

Graphs and Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Foreword by David C. Korten

Introduction
A new way of looking at economic growth is emerging which will radically adjust the way we treat the natural world.

1. Quality or Quantity?
Politicians often promise to raise our standard of living. What they do not say is that this will inescapably reduce the quality of our lives.

2. Why Capitalism Needs Growth

3. Capitalism cannot survive without growth.
Firms are compelled to expand to avoid collapse. In the world up to 1914, this compulsion built empires, destroyed indigenous cultures and, finally, led to world war.

4. The Benefits of War and Depression
Major advances in the living conditions of the British people resulted from two world wars, the depressions of the twenties and thirties and the fiercely redistributive policies of the 1945 Labour government. Whenever growth appeared, life for the majority got worse.

5. Mrs Thatcher and the Struggle Against Inflation
Because Mrs. Thatcher had mistaken ideas about the evils of inflation and sought to accelerate growth by improving investor's returns, her three governments engineered a major shift in the distribution of incomes and wealth in favour of the better-off.

6. Ned Ludd Was Right
The growth process perverts the national economy within which it works. It causes unemployment and yet makes labor less affordable. It enables the concentration of economic power and requires ever-higher shares of national income to be spent by the state.

7. Growth and the National Health
It was not until 1955 that accelerating the growth rate became the major British economic obsession. Since then, the methods used to generate higher levels of output have caused a large increase in chronic illness.

8. How Growth Damaged Family and Community Life
All the indicators of the quality of life show that this deteriorated in Britain between the '50s and the end of the '80s shows that the process brought very few benefits at all.

9. What Has All the Growth Done?
Has growth kept its promises? An examination of the changes in Britain between the '50s and the end of the '80s show that the process brought very few benefits at all.

10. Growth Must Have a Stop
Because their need for growth forces firms to adopt new technologies before their impact can be assessed, environmental disasters such as the large-scale release of CFCs and PCBs are inevitable. Innovations must only be permitted when it is clear that society and the environment will benefit.

11. Growth in the Greenhouse
Politicians are more concerned about maintaining conditions in which economic growth is possible than holding the world's climate unchanged.

12. The Dutch Dilemma
Continuing to grow economically is neither necessary for the wellbeing of the Dutch people nor desirable for their environment. They are, however, both unwilling and unable to bring the process to a stop.

13. The Mahatma's Message
India has found that industrialization has created many more problems than it has solved and there is a growing group of people who would like to see Mahatma Gandhi's put-the-weakest-first policies used instead.

14. De Valera's Dream
Ireland made economic growth its priority in the late 1950s. At first it raised its people's incomes by introducing labor-saving technologies and sending those whom the process makes redundant to live overseas. More recently, it has denied the large numbers of people a fair share of the higher incomes produced by growth by keeping their wage rates down.

15. The Myth of Sustainable Growth
The only sustainable society is a stable society- there is no such thing as sustainable growth. What are the principles on which such a society can be built? In particular, how can we stabilize world population?

16. Guiding the Invisible Hand
Morality lost almost all control over the direction of economic change after Adam Smith's concept of the 'invisible hand' gained acceptance. If the world is to have a bright future, morality must govern our actions against.

Epilogue
Notes
Bibliography
Index

The Growth IllusionHow economic growth has enriched the few, impoverished the many and endangered the planet

Subject Headings

The Growth Illusion
How economic growth has enriched the few, impoverished the many and endangered the planet