The Progress Illusion - Reclaiming Our Future from the Fairytale of Economics

We live under the illusion of progress: as long as GDP is going up and prices stay low, we accept poverty and pollution as unfortunate but inevitable byproducts of a successful economy. How did we all get duped into believing the fairytale of economics?

In The Progress Illusion, Jon Erickson charts the rise of the economic worldview and its infiltration into our daily lives as a theory of everything. Drawing on his experience as a young economist inoculated in the go-go 1980's era of "greed is good," Erickson shows how flawed economic thinking shaped our politics and determined the course of American public policy.

While the history of economics is dismal indeed, Erickson is part of a vigorous reform effort grounded in the realities of life on a finite planet. Crafting a new economic story, he shows, is the first step toward turning away from endless growth and towards enduring prosperity.

About the author

Jon D. Erickson is the Blittersdorf Professor of Sustainability Science and Policy at the University of Vermont, faculty member of the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, and Fellow of the Gund Institute for Environment. His previous co-authored and edited books include Sustainable Wellbeing Futures, The Great Experiment in Conservation, Ecological Economics of Sustainable Watershed Management, Frontiers in Ecological Economic Theory and Application, and Ecological Economics: A Workbook for Problem-Based Learning.

Product details

• Authors: Jon D Erickson, Jon D. Erickson, Jon D Erickson
• Publisher: Island Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.12.2022
• EAN: 9781642832525
• ISBN: 978-1-64283-252-5
• No. of pages: 232
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > Ecology; Social sciences, law, business > Business > Economics; SCIENCE / Global Warming & Climate Change, Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Green Business, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Economics / Theory, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Public Policy / Environmental Policy, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Environmental Economics, Economic theory & philosophy, Environmental Economics, Environmental policy & protocols, Central government policies, Economic theory and philosophy, Environmental policy and protocols