Phelps, E: Mass Flourishing

Preface vii Introduction: Advent of the Modern Economies 1 PART ONE The Experience of the Modern Economy 1 How Modern Economies Got Their Dynamism 19 2 Material Eff ects of the Modern Economies 41 3 The Experience of Modern Life 55 4 How Modern Economies Formed 77 PART TWO Against the Modern Economy 5 The Lure of Socialism 113 6 The Third Way: Corporatism Right and Left 135 7 Weighing the Rivals on Their Terms 170 8 The Satisfaction of Nations 193 PART THREE Decay and Refounding 9 Markers of Post-1960s Decline 219 10 Understanding the Post-1960s Decline 237 11 The Good Life: Aristotle and the Moderns 268 12 The Good and the Just 289 Epilogue: Regaining the Modern 310 Timeline: Modernism and Modernity 325 Bibliography 337 Acknowledgments 351 Index 353

Edmund Phelps was the 2006 Nobel Laureate in economics. He is director of the Center on Capitalism and Society at Columbia University. His many books include Designing Inclusion, Rewarding Work, and Seven Schools of Macroeconomic Thought.

"[I]nquiring readers, not just academics and social scientists, will enjoy the vast learning in Phelps's sophisticated, sometimes sardonic, look at homo economicus."--Publishers Weekly "Phelps has produced an insightful work that bridges gaps among economics, sociology, and philosophy to identify countries that have the capabilities to prosper and flourish. This book is an essential read for individuals interested in better assessing countries' economies and competitive advantages."--Library Journal "The author ranges extremely widely and any student of any age will gain something from it, irrespective of political views."--Samuel Brittan, Financial Times "Phelps's book deserves credit for showing that the strength of an economy doesn't depend on small differences in the tax rate, or the tactics of a country's central bank. Phelps rightly points out that economic dynamism depends on much deeper issues like a culture's affinity for risk taking and respect for individual achievement. And he wields convincing statistics that suggest actors in our political economy, from our government, to corporations, to workers, have to some extent lost their reverence for these values."--Chris Matthews, Time.com Money & Business "[F]ascinating, versatile and profound ..."--Felix Martin, New Statesman