The Infinite Desire for Growth - Daniel Cohen

The Infinite Desire for Growth

By: Daniel Cohen, Jane Marie Todd (Translator)

Paperback | 15 February 2021

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Why society's expectation of economic growth is no longer realistic

Economic growth and the hope of better things to come is the religion of the modern world. Yet its prospects have become bleak, with crashes following booms in an endless cycle. In the United States, eighty percent of the population has seen no increase in purchasing power over the last thirty years and the situation is not much better elsewhere. The Infinite Desire for Growth spotlights the obsession with wanting more, and the global tensions that have arisen as a result.

Daniel Cohen provides a whirlwind tour of the history of economic growth, from the early days of civilisation to modern times, underscoring what is so unsettling today. He examines how a future less dependent on material gain might be considered, and how, in a culture of competition, individual desires might be better attuned to the greater needs of society.

About the Author

Daniel Cohen is director of the Economics Department at the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris and founding member of the Paris School of Economics. His books include Globalization and Its Enemies and The Prosperity of Vice.
Industry Reviews
'An unputdownable masterpiece.'
Esther Duflo Nobel Laureate in Economics

"The book is a statement of hope, a plea for mankind to stop running in the rat race and start seeing the roses. Amen!"
J. Bhattacharya, Choice

"[A] stimulating book of wide scope drawing on a range of disciplines."
David Lorimer Paradigm Explorer

"An utterly absorbing journey from the wheel to the iPhone."
Sharon Shinn BizEd

"Can modern society survive slow growth? In The Infinite Desire for Growth Cohen presents on balance among the best and most accessible analyses of this central and very important issue. This is an interesting, forthright, and worthwhile book from an author who brings humanity to economics."
Jeff Madrick author of Seven Bad Ideas: How Mainstream Economists Have Damaged America and the World

"This interesting and thought-provoking book considers the question of whether humanity needs to live in a state of permanent aspiration. Its breadth of reference is remarkably impressive."
Howard Davies author of Can Financial Markets Be Controlled?

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