Opis książki
The main thesis of this book is that our current capitalist economy can exist only on the basis of manufactured scarcity created by 'scarcity-generating institutions'. These institutions manipulate both demand and supply of commodities so that demand consistently exceeds supply, and profits and economic growth can continue - at the cost of individual freedom, social equity, and ecological sustainability. This leads to an impasse: many people see no alternative to our present economic system, but at the same time recognize that it is clearly unsustainable ecologically and socially. This is because the only alternative is seen in state regulation that limits freedom, and unless it can be demonstrated that this regulation is really effective, nobody wants to be regulated. This book argues that, by analyzing how scarcity-generating institutions work and then reforming or dismantling them, we can enhance individual freedom at the same time as we make progress toward social justice and environmental sustainability. This vision should enable activists in many fields (social justice, civil liberties, and environmental protection), as well as various kinds of entrepreneurs and other members of civil society to work together much more effectively, make it more difficult to portray all these groups as distinct special interests, and thereby help generate momentum for positive change. Meanwhile, for academics in many fields of study, the concept of the creation of scarcity (or abundance) could be a highly useful analytical tool. |
