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The middle class is the most successful group in world history. Sometime before 2030 the fifth billionth person will join the middle class. What started a little over two hundred years ago as a search for a better life has fueled unprecedented global transformation. In his new book Homi Kharas looks at how this powerful dream captivated generations through history, but its demands have led younger generations to ask if it is all worth it. Can the middle class continue to thrive, or will it falter under the stresses of automation, consumerism, pollution, and political strife?
The Rise of the Global Middle Class traces the history of the middle class from its origins in Victorian England to present day India. Along the way we meet knocker-uppers who have been displaced by alarm clocks. We learn how the Chinese Communist Party drew legitimacy from its ability to enlarge the Chinese middle class.
Kharas proposes a new middle-class manifesto that addresses the pressing issues of inequality, climate change, and technological advances.
List of contents
Chapter 1. The Middling Sort
Chapter 2. The First Billion: The Victorians and The Rise Of The West, 1830-1975
Chapter 3. The Second Billion: Economic Growth in The Third World And Globalization, 1975-2006
Chapter 4. The Third Billion: China Dreams, But the West Is Alarmed, 2006-2014
Chapter 5. The Fourth Billion: The Indian Elephant In The Room, 2013-2021
Chapter 6. The Fifth Billion: Pitfalls Ahead, 2022-2030
Chapter 7. A New Agenda For The Global Middle Class: Well-Being For 5 Billion People
About the author
Homi Kharas is a senior fellow in the Center for Sustainable Development at The Brookings Institution. He studies politics and trends influencing developing countries, including aid to poor countries, the emergence of the middle class, and global governance and the G20.
