Economics/Politics

Contents:

Articles, Resources, Recommended Reading, Videos

'Madness is rare in individuals - but in groups, political parties, nations and eras it is the rule' - Friedrich Nietzche

When most of our political systems began, and laws and constitutions were written, things were different. Many of the pressing issues that face us today weren’t so pressing then, or weren’t issues at all. Politics is decision-making on a national and international scale, and the challenge now is to identify what decisions need to be made for a future planet.
Perhaps the most important realisation is that we start with a single planet, and not multiple different and warring nations. Everything is truly planetary; the arbitrary divisions between countries do not exist, because they have no meaning when we are trying to work to a global cause.
With a clean slate, what can we create?

Resources:

Forum for the Future reports:
e Sombra Sol - Brazil’s search for a sustainable future
Ubuntu! South Africa’s search for a sustainable future
Viva lavida verde - Mexico’s search for a sustainable future
Monsoons & miracles - India’s search for a sustainable future

Other reports:

WHO’S WINNING THE CLEAN ENERGY RACE? Growth, Competition and Opportunity in the World’s Largest Economies 
Caught in the time crunch time use leisure and culture in Canada 

Books we recommend:

A World Waiting to be Born – The Search for Civility By M Scott Peck
This book offers a needed prescription for our ailing society. Our illness is incivility: destructive patterns of self-absorption, callousness, manipulativeness, and materialism so ingrained in our routine behaviour that we do not recognise them. Using examples from his own life, case histories, and dramatic scenarios, Dr. Peck demonstrates how change can be effected and how we and our organizations can be restored to health.

The End of History and the Last Man By Francis Fukuyama
Fukuyama argues that the advent of Western liberal democracy may signal the end point of humanity's sociocultural evolution and the final form of human government."What we may be witnessing is not just the end of the Cold War, or the passing of a particular period of post-war history, but the end of history as such: that is, the end point of mankind's ideological evolution and the universalisation of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government."

Deglobalization – Ideas for a New World Economy By Walden Bello
How to manage the global economy - and, more fundamentally, whether humanity wishes it to go in an ever more market-oriented, transnational corporation-dominated, and capital-footloose direction - is the most important international question of our time. The author points out the failings of groups such as The World Bank, IMF, WTO and G7. He examines the major new ideas put forward for reforming the management of the world economy and argues for a much more fundamental shift towards a decentralized, pluralistic system of global economic governance allowing countries to follow development strategies sensitive to their own values and particular mix of constraints and opportunities. Google Books Preview

Another World is Possible By William F Fisher and Thomas Panniah
Many believe that there are no alternatives to globalisation as we know it-with its world of giant corporations in the driving seat, dominating a "free" market in reality shaped in accordance with their dictates, and elevating economics over all other human considerations and values. But there are alternatives. And the global justice movement is giving voice to them. In this remarkable collection, the compilers have brought together some of the most important themes and voices which these rapidly growing, diverse citizens' movements have expressed at the World Social Forum. Google Books Preview

The Constant economy By Zac Goldsmith
A constant economy is one in which resources are valued not wasted, where food is grown sustainably and goods are built to last. It is a system whose energy security is based on the use of renewable sources, and where strong communities are valued as a country’s most effective hedge against social, economic and environmental instability. The constant economy operates at the human scale and, above all, it recognises nature’s limits.
The author shows that almost everything we need to do, is already being done somewhere in the world. Where governments, communities or companies have done the right thing, they have been rewarded. Solutions exist, and they are brought together and set out in this ground-breaking book.

The Case Against the Global Economy By Edward Goldsmith
"Economic globalisation," writes Jerry Mander, "involves arguably the most fundamental redesign of the planet's political and economic arrangements since at least the Industrial Revolution. Yet the profound implications of these fundamental changes have barely been exposed to serious public scrutiny or debate. The 43 essays in this collection comprise a point-by-point analysis of globalization and its consequences that demonstrates that the future may not be as bright as business leaders tell us.

Vision for 2010 - Planning for Extraordinary Change By John L. Peterson
In this timely and insightful treatise, Petersen explains how the world and its leaders must prepare for an onslaught of potential crises, such as rapid climate change, a tipping point in the global financial system, a pandemic, or a new level of sophistication among terrorists. At the same time, Petersen highlights the unbelievable breakthroughs in knowledge, mindsets, and scientific capabilities that demonstrate our extraordinary capacity not just to persevere, but to evolve. Provocative yet hopeful, A Vision for 2012 outlines an effective approach to the immense challenges - and opportunities - that lie ahead.”

The Rise of the Creative Class By Richard Florida
Florida looks at the forces reshaping our economy and how companies, communities and people can survive and prosper in uncertain times. He gives us a provocative new way to think about why we live as we do today – and where we might be headed. Weaving storytelling with reams of cutting-edge research, Florida traces the fundamental theme that runs through a host of seemingly unrelated changes in American society: the growing role of creativity in our economy.

Fool's Gold By Gillian Tett
In “Fool’s Gold,” Tett describes how a small group of bankers at storied J. P. Morgan built a monster that got out of control and helped destroy much of their industry. She shows us the financial world through the eyes of her talented but short-sighted subjects: geniuses at math and marketing, they thought they had discovered how to defy the laws of nature.

The World is Flat By Thomas L Friedman
Friedman recounts a journey to Bangalore, India, when he realised globalisation has changed core economic concepts. In his opinion, this flattening is a product of a convergence of personal computers with fiber-optic micro cables with the rise of work flow software. He termed this period as Globalization 3.0, differentiating this period from the previous Globalization 1.0 (in which countries and governments were the main protagonists) and the Globalization 2.0 (in which multinational companies led the way in driving global integration).

Heat By George Monbiot
Monbiot demonstrates a necessary 90% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 - without bringing civilisation to an end. Combining his unique knowledge of campaigning and environmental science, he shows how we can transform our houses, our power and our transport systems. But he also shows that this can happen only with a massive programme of action which no government has yet been prepared to take. His exciting, disturbing ideas expose the cowardice of our politicians. By showing that we can save the biosphere without losing our comfort and security, Monbiot sweeps away their perpetual excuse for doing nothing: that it would be too painful and expensive to sustain life on earth.

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