Beyond Growth: The Economics of Sustainable Development by Herman E. Daly
|
Book Summary Author: Herman E. Daly Edition: Paperback Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published) Published: 1997-08-14 ISBN: 0807047090 Number of pages: 264 Publisher: Beacon Press |
| Used | pro-spin | Used, good ex-library copy with usual marks. cover has some wear, the inside pages are clean, tight & unmarked. Most books shipped within 24 hours with FREE on-line tracking. Always compare feed back before buying. All books are stored in a smoke free home. Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $10.10 | |
| Used | tnvalleybooks | Used, good Paperback with bend to book from improper storage. Text clean and binding tight. Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $11.99 | |
| Used | collegetextbookbuyers | Used, mint PAPERBACK, CLEAN UNREAD COPY, Free Delivery Confirmation, Orders Processed Quickly, Will Ship Immediately Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $12.20 | |
| Used | jochhi | Used, good Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $12.50 | |
| Used | textbooks_source | Used, good SHIPS FAST! via UPS(AK/HI Priority Mail) within 24 hours/ used sticker on back/some highlighting Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $12.60 | |
| Used | second_glance_books | Used, verygood Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $12.95 | |
| Used | textbooksnow- | Used, good Inventory subject to prior sale. Used items have varying degrees of wear, highlighting, etc. and may not include supplements such as infotrac or other web access codes. Expedited orders cannot be sent to PO Box. Sorry, not able to ship to APO, FPO, Alaska, and Hawaii. Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $14.39 | |
| Used | | Used, mint Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $14.95 | |
| Used | ecrcbooks | Used, verygood Several marks and scratches on the cover and forearm edge; Otherwise very good conditition. Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $14.97 | |
| New | novalinda | New GLOSSY COVER CLEAN TEXT SHIPPING DAILY. MY CUSTOMERS ARE VALUED* Usually ships in 1-2 business days | $16.44 |
Your purchase is protected by the A-to-z Safe Buying Guarantee. Amazon.com automatically transfers your payment to the merchant so you'll never need to pay a merchant directly. Amazon.com A-to-z Safe Buying Guarantee covers both the delivery of your item and its condition upon receipt.
Book Reviews of the Beyond Growth: The Economics of Sustainable Development
Customer Review: The big ugly secret about economic dogma
Summary: 5 Stars
Daly, more than any other economist or writer on sustainability, makes clear the fallacies of traditional free-market thinking. The book illustrates very clearly why economic growth cannot be sustainable in a finite world. (Although he doesnt use the metaphor -- I'll borrow it from Edward Abbey -- the same logic explains why "sustainable" cell growth in humans is called "cancer.") Daly argues that traditional economic theory is mainly useful in only one of the three core areas of economy (the optimal price and allocation of scarce resources) and does not address in any meaningful way two other issues -- the distribution of resources and determining the overall scale of the economy that can be sustained within the biosphere. Particularly interesting is the essay on economist Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, which describes all of the tenets of traditional economic theory that become untenable merely when one accepts the fact that the second law of thermodynamics (the law on increasing entropy) must apply to an economy just as it applies to the biological and physical world.What makes Daly effective as a writer is the calm humility of his intellect. Economics has practically become a religion in our society (witness the dogmatic reviews of political/economic books on this site). However, unlike other economists, who get shrill and polemical when their dogma is challenged, Daly is willing to consider possible holes in his arguments, opponents' counterarguments, and unknowns. Of course, he shreds most counterarguments in his calm, polite way, but after reading other economists the openness is refreshing.
My one complaint is the disjointed nature of the book. Although certain themes run throughout each of the seven sections, some of the pieces were originally written as separate essays, and it shows. However, given the clarity of the writing (even on very technical subjects such as Soddy's views on the nature of money) that is ultimately forgivable.