An Economy of Want
Economics Reworked
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For You
For You
This book is for you if you want to learn economics or are studying economics, or if you have studied economics but want an alternative view.
It’s also for you if you are passionate about the environment and a just society, and want to understand why economic forces seem always to be pushing in the opposite direction: towards climate change, polluted air and water, and the destruction of nature, towards rust-belt left-behind towns, inequality and a gig economy.
And it’s also for you if you want to know why the economy promotes a consumerist lifestyle characterised by junk food, physical inactivity and addictive apps, when that is the opposite of what both ancient wisdom and modern studies recommend for a good life.
On this website are a taster, sample chapters, and articles based on the book. The entire e-book edition is regularly made free to download from Amazon for 24 hours (next on 12 July PDT): click for details and time-zones.
The Book
The Book
An Economy of Want* is an alternative economics text book. Written by an engineer instead of an economist, it explains the fundamentals of economics building from what the economy of any creature must achieve, to the complex human economies that we live in. In doing so, it exposes common fallacies of mainstream economics. It details how while market economies are good at generating endless new products, they are also the drivers of environmental destruction, insecure livelihoods, and a stream of products that have negative consequences for our physical and psychological health.
'An Economy of Want' by Donald Power. ISBN: 978-1-3999-8588-8 Paperback 556 pages, or e-book. Includes chapter summaries, colour illustrations, real-world examples, further reading, index and bibliography.
Two Parts
Two Parts
The book is in two parts. The first is an explanation of how the economy works now: a macroeconomics text, but with a difference, and rooted in the environment. You could read it for interest & understanding, with no intention of changing anything. The second part is not neutral: based on the analysis in Part 1, it looks at what changes we would have to make to move towards a fairer and more sustainable economy.
Part 1: Understanding the Economy We Have
Part 1: Understanding the Economy We Have
Part 1 Understanding the Economy We Have, explains macroeconomics in the context of the physical and natural world that humans are part of and depend on. Step by step, it progresses from the simplest of economies of solitary animals to the complex globalised social economy that we now live in. Along the way it exposes common fallacies of mainstream economics, such as 'Labour supply increases with wage', 'There will be full employment if workers accept a low-enough wage' and 'Individuals spend their money more wisely than governments'. It explains how while market economies are good at generating endless new products, they are also the drivers of environmental destruction, insecure livelihoods, and a stream of products that have negative consequences for our physical and psychological health. The theory is backed up by real-world examples and an extensive bibliography. It concludes with an overview chapter What We Have Learnt and Where We are Heading.
Part 2: A Fairer and More Sustainable Economy
Part 2: A Fairer and More Sustainable Economy
Part 2 A Fairer and More Sustainable Economy asks "if we accept the account in Part 1 of how the economy functions, and we want to current tackle social and environmental issues, how can we change direction?" It has three main chapters covering livelihoods (jobs, taxes, investment, aligning government influence with responsibilities), the environment (consumption, population, nature), politics (finding support for change).
* A note about the title ...
* A note about the title ...
The title 'An Economy of Want' has multiple possible meanings in English:
An economic system based on the promotion of wants or desires.
An economic system that leaves many in want of (without or deficiently supplied with) basic goods.
The exercise of frugality, restraint or moderation in how much is wanted or desired.
The first two are characteristics of the economy we have now. The last indicates what we have to make our economy encourage, if we want to protect our environment from destruction by over-consumption.
Contents ...
Contents ...
Below are the book contents to one level. A PDF of the full contents pages (2-levels), as well as some sample chapters, are available on this website here.
Top-level Contents (1-level)
Top-level Contents (1-level)
List of Figures
List of Tables
Preface
Part I Understanding the Economy We Have
1 Introduction – not for lemmings
2 Economy Fundamentals
3 Rules for a Social Economy
4 Markets
5 Market Exchanges
6 Life in the Market Economy
7 Dynamics of the Economy: The Labour Market
8 The Classical Labour Supply and Demand Diagram
9 Dynamics of the Economy: How Labour Demand is Increased
10 Dynamics of the Economy: Growth
11 Dynamics of the Economy: Booms and Slumps
12 Connecting Economies
13 Environmental Impact of the Market Economy
14 How the Economy Shapes Society
15 Spending Alone or Together – Private or Public
16 Market Impact on Communities and their Responsibilities
17 The Tragedy of the Commons
18 Theory of Comparative Advantage
19 Inequality
20 Planned Economies
21 Long Term Investment and Discounting the Grandchildren
22 The Finance Sector
23 Inflation and Money Supply
24 What We Have Learnt and Where We are Heading
Part II A Fairer and More Sustainable Economy
25 Changing Direction: Introduction
26 Changing Direction: Livelihoods
27 Changing Direction: Reducing Environmental Impact and Protecting the Natural World
28 Changing Direction: The Politics
29 Stop the World – Let Me Off
End Notes
Bibliography
Index
Target Audience
Target Audience
Those interested in economics & environment theory and policy. Students of economics or environmental topics. Anyone wanting an approachable and independent introduction to economics.
Taster and Extracts
Taster and Extracts
The 'Taster' page takes you through some issues addressed in the book in a Question and Answer format. You can also use Amazon's Look Inside feature, and there is a flyer. You can view PDFs of some sample chapters from the paperback.
Some images from the book ...
Some images from the book ...
Availability
Availability
An Economy of Want is available on Amazon as a paperback or e-book, with the e-book being occasionally free to download (as described at the top of this page). The e-book can be read on any device that supports the free Kindle app (most do); as it contains illustrations, graphs and tables, view it preferably on devices that support colour. The paperback is also available is some bookshops and libraries.
An Economy of Want is currently available only in English. A Spanish translation is planned, and some information and articles on this website are provided in multiple languages.
On Amazon:
In the UK, on www.amazon.co.uk or e-book
In the USA on www.amazon.com or e-book
In Canada on www.amazon.ca or e-book
In other countries: On your local or nearest Amazon site. ISBN: 978-1-3999-8588-8
At Bookshops:
On sale at these London bookshops:
Housmans near Kings Cross, 5 Caledonian Rd, London N1 9DX.
Bookmarks near the British Museum, 1 Bloomsbury Street, London, WC1B 3QE.
Calder Bookshop near the Old Vic, 51 The Cut, London SE1 8LF.
Brick Lane Bookshop 166 Brick Lane, London E1 6RU.
Pitshanger Bookshop 141 Pitshanger Lane, Ealing, London W5 1RH.
Everybody Reads 6 Chiswick High Road, London W4 1TH.
Quaker Centre Bookshop, Friends House, 173-177 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ.
Bookcase London, 268 Chiswick High Road, London W4 1PD.
Bard Books, 341-343 Roman Road, London E3 5QR.
The Gilded Acorn, 1 Portsmouth Street WC2A 2ES.
The plan if the book is successful, is to find a second publisher for the book who can distribute more widely to bookshops.
In Libraries:
The British Library holds a copy but it may be a while before it is entered in their catalogue.
The library of The Centre for Alternative Technology.
The library of The New Economics Foundation .
The Kew Gardens library.
The London School or Economics (LSE) library: here.
SOAS Library, University of London.
The House of Commons library.
And soon, the Legal Deposit libraries: National Library of Scotland, The Bodleian Library, National Library of Wales, Cambridge University Library, The Library of Trinity College Dublin.
Please Review!
Please Review!
If you like the book and its message, please leave a review. There is no major publisher behind this book, the only promoters are the author and you! If you want the teaching of economics to take into account the finite planet we live on, the need to protect the natural world, and the duty to make possible decent livelihoods for everyone not just a privileged minority, -- then please back the book through reviews, social media and word of mouth.
You will be able to leave a review if you purchased the book from the websites of Amazon or other retailers. You can also leave a review on GoodReads, regardless of how you acquired your copy.
So far, Five Stars: REVIEWS
More Information
More Information
Bookshops, Publishers & Distributors
Bookshops, Publishers & Distributors
If you are a bookshop, publisher or distributor interested in the book, please see the information and contact details here: Bookshops & Publishers.
Articles Based on Concepts in the Book
Articles Based on Concepts in the Book
Keywords: climate change, ecological economics, green economics, environmental economics, alternative economics, radical economics, sustainable economy, degrowth, de-growth, green economy, introduction to economics.
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