What if we promoted policies to shrink our economy, rather than grow it? What if government officials called for a recession, perhaps a depression, as the answer to humanity’s most intractable challenges? As heretical as they sound, such questions frame very real policy proposals debated by a growing legion of economists, activists, and government officials representing the so-called Degrowth movement. Degrowthists argue that only a contraction of the world’s developed economies can help reduce dependence on fossil fuel and other environmental resources, slow climate change, and ... Read More
An Economy of Change
April 28, 2009 • By • 1 Comment
This spinogram depicts U.S. gross domestic product, divided into constituent sources. Column widths are proportional to a year's real GDP, and each sector's contribution to GDP is reflected in box height. Color intensity varies with historical relative magnitude of a sector's contribution to GDP. Clearly shown is the service sector's 25-year rise to dominance, paralleling a drop in the importance of manufacturing and increasing transportation production in periods of high energy prices. Numbers in billions of dollars. Key to abbreviations: • Agriculture, forestry and fishing • ... Read More
Should the Government Make Us Happy?
May 19, 2008 • By • Leave a Comment
Tim Kasser wants to be happy. If you live in America, odds are, so do you. There's a crucial difference between you and Kasser, though. After two decades of poring over and contributing to academic research on what makes people happy or unhappy, anxious or depressed, Kasser can predict what's likely to keep him content and what isn't. He makes life choices based on those studies; he thinks if you did the same, you might end up happier. And he thinks it's time the government helps you get happy. The research tells Kasser that Americans are cash-wealthy, time-poor and not as happy as they ... Read More
