The writings of Erik Gustaf Geijer allow us to distinguish between two modes of thought in representations of scarcity: the idealization of scarcity as the “simple life” and its problematization in discourses on poverty.
The Sardar Sarovar Dam is constructed in India to aid in the country’s industrialization, providing irrigation, electricity, and economic stimulus. After heavy controversy and international pressures to examine the costs of the project, the World Bank cuts financial assistance, exposing the social costs surrounding modernization and wide scale infrastructure projects.
The Spermonde Archipelago is home to one of the world’s largest coral reefs. With the introduction of blast fishing methods during Word War II, the coral reef’s biodiversity has been under threat.
In Prosperity without Growth, Tim Jackson—a sustainability adviser to the UK government—makes a compelling case against continued economic growth in developed nations.
When in about 1800 Bavaria urgently needed money, Georg von Reichenbach founded a factory for scientific instruments and started building precision theodilites to precisely survey the state in order to increase the taxes on land and buildings.
The principle of the division of labour and the use of machines appeared in the 18th century in England. These developments initiated the Industrial Revolution.
Author, educator, and environmentalist Bill McKibben issues an impassioned call to arms for an economy that creates community and ennobles our lives.
Small Is Beautiful was first published in 1973 and still offers a crucial message for the modern world struggling to balance economic growth with the human costs of globalization.
State of the World 2009: Into a Warming World examines the policy changes needed to combat climate change and explores the economic benefits that could flow from the transition.
In State of the World 2008: Innovations for a Sustainable Economy, researchers with the Worldwatch Institute and other leading experts highlight an array of economic innovations that offer new opportunities for long-term prosperity.
