Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered – The Landmark Social Commentary on Localism, Fair Trade, and the Green Economy (Harper Perennial Modern Thought)

Small is Beautiful - Economics as if People Matter (E.F. Schumacher) and Slowing down the speed of life - how to create a more peaceful life from the inside out (Richard Carlsen and Joseph Bailey) are a couple of my favorite books that I have read to date of quite a library (combined with some very practical life and business experience). I would have to applaud E.F. Schumaker for making an extremely well thought out review of the values in society as they relate to the economy. I'm sure that deep down this stuff must be present in most of us. The fact he was also a Rhodes Scholar also demonstrates his commitment to intellectual and practical rigor, as well as the fact he worked in both first world and developing nations provided him a contextual background for his statements. This is a MUST read book which relates to a sustainable economics - this book could change your entire viewpoint of the commercial systems we live in, but ultimately it underpins survival, economics and the physical reality in which we live. It is not some new age untested spin of reality, but rather lies extremely close to the surface of reality, in fact for that matter, what was once termed "common sense". It redefines the concept of "human capital" vs fiat currency capital and the roles of Government and Business. It looks at economies of scale, and economics in general. The problem with economics as it stands, is unless it represents environmental (see physical) and moral values, it make make what is essential to life worthless (in terms of money) and what is worthless expensive (in terms of money). It is (the economy) a system that can be adjusted and tampered with on a wim. It makes you appreciate the simpler things in life such as clean water, air and basic food and shelter. You can use an economy to make essential survival skills and tools forgotten, just with the phrase "its not economically viable". At the end of the day the economy represents the VALUES of society and economists, rather that what we actually NEED. A common sense override that needs to be considered regarding the "economy" and "economists" is that without the right values embedded within the economic system itself (see SELF regulating) we could have the values of humanity and survival overridden by an arbitrary system that is supposed to support the very values of the people "the system" is destroying. Money and Value should not be able to be detached from each other, but have been allowed to wonder apart through deliberate rent seeking and self interest of large organisations and financially "powerful" individuals that benefit at the expense of others and have allowed themselves to suppress and ultimately override their own humanitarian values. Hence the rise of administrators = lower quality work and less efficiency in most cases. The amoral concept of "I'm just doing my Job" as it relates to the financial, humanitarian, and ecological systems is no answer to the problems that face humans today. Economists need to revisit these facts. Which came first, the human or the system? Is it the human that administers to the needs of the system, or is it the system that needs to adapt to meet the survival needs of the human? I believe after reading this in addition to a triple bottom line (you cant live without an environment with all the "money" in the world) we also need behavioral incentives for the economy internationally whereby poor behavior imposes its own tarrifs, as at the moment there are many that will sell their soul for money , and don't realize it is destroying themselves in the process, and others. For anyone that enjoyed reading or watching the Dr Zeuss Classic "The Lorax" or is searching for the underpinning truth about economics and behavior or just a positive change in lifestyle, I believe this is the book you might have been waiting to read. I encourage any teachers or students interested in either economics (particularly behavioral economics) or the environment to read this book.

EF Schumacher, a British economist, published this book in 1973 from essays that he wrote in prior years. I have heard about it for years and just now read it. It's truly a wonderful book, full of thoughtful -- yet revolutionary -- ideas of how to structure a sustainable economy. I give this book my HIGHEST recommendation to anyone interested in the economics of development, environment, natural resources and community. The 297 page book has four parts: The Modern World has essays on sustainability and scale. Resources discusses land, education, energy and technology The Third World gets very deep into the similarities and differences between economic systems in "our world" and a poor village. Organization and Ownership discusses different ownership structures and how their incentives (dis)serve man and society. Schumacher's perspective is informed by Gandhian and Buddhist concepts of scale, i.e., the appropriate scale for a business or a job is the scale that an individual can understand and enjoy. As such, he runs directly against the "bigger is better" philosophy of mainstream economics that argues in favor of increasing scale until marginal costs begin to rise. Further, Schumacher goes against the idea that profits, per se, are the only goal. As a free-market economist, I have strong doubts about these ideas; as an environmental economist concerned with sustainable systems, I have to agree that his ideas are more sensible than those that pursue profits at all costs. If these ideas had displaced mainstream economics (to the extent that Gordon Gekko said "small is beautiful" instead of "greed is good"), we would be living in a very different world today. Schumacher is certainly aware that he is fighting an uphill battle, but his analysis never veers from good economics. He does not hope that people will just "do the right thing." Instead, he pays attention to incentives and how they can be changed to accomplish his goals. This book is full of wisdom, and the writing sparkles. Although you should read it to experience it yourself, I will leave you with this passage: We are always having all sorts of clever ideas about optimizing something before it even exists. I think the stupid man who says "something is better than nothing" is much more intelligent than than the clever chap who will not touch something unless it is optimal. Bottom Line: Economists study how humans use scarce resources. Their decisions are motivated by philosophies of why they want to use those resources. This book discusses those decisions with an important question: Is the goal more consumption or happier people? Since consumption does not appear to make us more happy, we have to ask what does, and Schumacher answers that question by noting that people living in communities and doing meaningful work are happier. 2014 update (after using the book to teach): Schumacher has a lovely vision for how a bottom-up system of production by the masses would work, but he does not describe a strategy for dealing with people(s) who prefer large and ugly, e.g., China, the US, Canada, et al. This weakness puts his advice into the aspirational rather than pragmatic section of my bookshelf.

EXCELLENT. If this book was presented to me when I was studying economics I may have actually studied economics. There were times when I wondered if he had a crystal ball. There were other times where I laughed out loud. Reading it in 2015, reflecting on 2014 dozens of ideas and concepts are now or have been actualized since his writing. There is something wonderfully refreshing to read a theoretical book that then becomes actualized.

時代を超えて、読者の心に沁み渡るメッセージ。内容はもちろん、読みやすさ、廉価な価格も、とても有り難いです。

El libro llegó a tiempo, en buenas condiciones. Con respecto al contenido, creo que vale mucho la pena si están interesados en el tema de economías sustentables.

This book should be mandatory reading and an exam at the end for anyone wanting to run for politician to show that they understood what they read. All graduating students should be obliged to read and understand what E.F. Schumacher is writing about. A very timely book and the only way to go for the future of this planet.

excellent

This book raises interesting questions about changes in business and government approaches necessary to ensure the survival of free enterprise and to protect the natural and social environments which all contribute to our well-being.