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I am now more and more aware that our current political and economic system is making us dilemma. We are looking for a new economy and government that can regularly bring good results to people, places and the planet. Fortunately, with the increasing public interest in social and political transformation, a large number of excellent books have emerged on what this means and how to achieve transformation. My bookshelf is full of these books, and my goal is to share some of my favorite books with you.

From the beginning, the list below reflects my preferences and prejudices, as well as books that inevitably caught my attention in some way. I made the difficult decision to limit my choice to books published after 2020. The following content is neither a book review nor a book excerpt, but a short episode that should introduce this book. I hope it can arouse the interest of more people. I will start with books dealing with the necessary conditions of change, from destructive values ​​and habits of thought to movements of new consciousness suitable for future conditions.

There is no better starting point than Tim Jackson's "Post-Growth: Life After Capitalism" (Polity Press, 2021). For a book full of passion and poetry, this is a bland title, among other things, it tries to break our fascination with the ruling economic paradigm. Key quote:

"The unremitting pursuit of growth has pushed us to the brink of ecological collapse, created unprecedented financial fragility, and spawned the horrible specter of social instability. Capitalism has no answer to its failure... Capitalism is eternal. The core belief of growth trembles in the ruins. The myth itself is dying."

Thomas Homer-Dixon’s hope: We must reinvigorate the power of the world at risk (Knopf Canada, 2020) to establish new values ​​and visions that can lead us out of the current horror. Starting from rejecting despair and empty hope, he explored the path to a new inclusive worldview that can provide a source of profound change. Key quote:

"Control hopes to recognize the possibility of negative results, but these results are not considered inevitable. Without succumbing to delusion and dishonesty, this hope can prevent these negative emotions from penetrating and infecting [our] Vision... In this way, the vision can continue to maintain a strong organization and help realize the vision."

Now let us move from mind and thought to the key process of envisioning alternative systems and developing specific ideas for change. The 29 articles in The New Systems Reader: Alternatives to a Failed Economy (James Gustave Speth and Kathleen Courrier, eds., Routledge, 2020) cover everything from social democracy in the 21st century to democratic ecological socialism to alternatives The possibility of deeper changes, including comprehensive reconstruction. Key quote:

"If we dare to ask for arrangements that go beyond the possibilities of our current capitalist structure,'no choice' will threaten us being expelled into the barren desert. But as the large number of alternative visions we have collected shows, far from the desert, we have Is a prosperous and diverse ecosystem."

A necessary and fundamental shift is from today’s out-of-control consumerism to a new way of life that uses our knowledge of human well-being, happiness, and satisfaction. Our admirable guide here is Kate Soper's eloquent justification in "Post-Growth Life: Alternative Hedonism" (Verso, 2020). Key quote:

"... [E] Even if it is possible to maintain the consumerist market indefinitely [she seriously doubts], it will not increase human pleasure or happiness. It will inhibit and hinder the satisfaction of material needs and other sources of happiness and satisfaction. Way of discovery and development."

Have you ever wondered why cooperatives are so important as the backbone of the new economy? If so, you will need to read Melissa Scanlan's excellent Prosperity in a Fossil-Free Economy: Designing Cooperatives and Sustainable Enterprises (Yale University, 2021). Her book draws on careful case studies in the United States and Europe, and convincingly proposes the most attractive alternatives to the current dominant investor-owned companies. Key quote:

"Cooperatives can not only become a successful organizational model for the transition to a fossil-free economy, they...provide opportunities to reinvest surplus income in the community...implement democratic governance...and provide greater income equality."

The current series of ". Cases..." from Polity Press's meticulous exploration of the pioneering policy direction towards a new order is worthy of our attention. The five books in the series show what I mean: "The Case of Economic Democracy" by Andrew Cumbers, "The Case of Universal Basic Service" by Anna Kurt and Andrew Percy, Joe Guinan and Martin O’Neill’s "Community Wealth Building Case", Louis Haag’s "Case" are universal basic income, and Pavlina R. Tcherneva’s job security case. These books and others in the series point the way to a more equal, caring, and community-centric future.

The first cousin of this Polity series is the outstanding work of Peter Barnes: Ours: The Case of Universal Property (Polity, 2021). Barnes had the insight from the beginning that most of today's production capacity does not come from the entities that benefit most from it, but from the continuous growth of scientific and technological knowledge and access to the earth's natural resources. He successfully demonstrated that these treasure troves of wealth belong to each of us for granted, and he has the idea to put this knowledge into action. Key quote:

"Universal property is needed to supply what the market currently lacks: self-adjusting brakes against external damage and a currency pump to cheer everyone up. Without these supplements, inequality will divide us and will naturally become our mortal enemy. "

Why is there enough money to save the economy but not the environment and its residents? Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) is not so much a theory as it is a practical explanation of how money is produced and distributed in today's economy. In "The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy" (PublicAffairs, 2020), Stephanie Kelton (Stephanie Kelton) debunks the myths of restricting federal spending, which are now seriously underfunded. Key quote:

"MMT taught us that if we have the real resources we need-that is, if we have building materials to repair our infrastructure, if we have people who want to be doctors, nurses, and teachers, if we can grow all the We need food-then money can always be used to achieve our goals. This is the beauty of sovereign currencies."

I think I have spent 60 years climbing a mountain, only to find that the younger Kate Aronoff (Kate Aronoff) is already on the top of the mountain. Her overheating: how capitalism destroys the planet-and how we fight back (book in bold, 2021) is a continuous, historically based reflection on how we arrived at this unfortunate moment and what it means for "how we fight" . Her prescription included public ownership of controlling shares in fossil giants. Key quote:

"How capitalism develops into an economy and belief system not only affects the carbon content in the atmosphere, but also affects the continued inability of governments around the world to respond.... If there is no major revision of the route, capitalism will define it, even worse The question is how the United States will deal with the consequences of waiting so long."

With the collapse of mainstream economics, at least outside the economics department, many people realize that a new kind of economics is needed to help guide future transformations. One of the most groundbreaking and relevant efforts to create a new economics has made progress under the banner of "ecological economics." (It was badly named.) Peter Victor's exciting book on Herman Daly's "Comprehensive World Economics: His Life and Ideas" (Routledge, 2021), one of its main supporters, participated in Many debates initiated by the thoughtful Daley, including the challenge of his continued GDP growth. Key quote:

"Daly believes that there is a logical policy sequence, starting with sustainable scale, then rational distribution, and then effective distribution.... Fair distribution."

Read the conversation with Megan Mayhew Bergman and Gus Speth as they discuss Speth's latest book "What They Know: The Role of the U.S. Government in Leading the Climate Crisis." 

James Gustave Speth is a professor at the Vermont Law School and an outstanding Next System researcher at the Democracy Collaborative, a nonpartisan public policy research and advocacy organization. He used to be the Dean of the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University, co-founded the Natural Resources Conservation Committee, was the founder and president of the World Resources Institute, and served as the Administrator of the United Nations Development Program. He is the author of six books, including the award-winning "Bridges to the Edge of the World: Capitalism, Environment, and the Leap from Crisis to Sustainable Development" and "Morning Red Sky: America and the Global Environmental Crisis."