Sustainable futures: an agenda for action
Cover -- Title page -- Copyright page -- Contents -- Figures -- Tables -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- 1 A Fork in the Road -- 2 The Rise and Fall of the Mass Production Economy -- 2.1 The Rise and Fall of Economic Growth, 1950-2018 -- 2.2 What Accounts for the Fall in the Rate of Economic Growth? -- Was it a consequence of a shortage of labour? -- What about the contribution of investment to the growth slowdown? -- And what about the productivity of investment? -- 2.3 Neo-liberalism and the Decline in Growth, Investment and Productivity -- Free trade and the retreat from Industrial Policy - increasing imbalances between countries -- The crisis in macroeconomic policy - matching demand with supply -- Sustaining demand through Quantitative Easing -- Growing financialization fuelled short-termism and dulled innovation -- 2.4 Can the Mass Production Paradigm Be Reinvigorated? -- The Great Recession of 2007-2018 - the sticking plaster wears off -- Debt continues to spiral -- Volatility and fragility in the financial sector threaten the likelihood of a new stock market crash -- Disruption to global supply chains -- 2.5 So What Does the Future Hold? -- 3 The Bumpy Ride to Social Decay -- 3.1 The Rise and Rise of Inequality -- Changing patterns in the distribution of wealth -- Changing patterns in the distribution of income -- 3.2 The Startling Growth of 'Absolute Poverty' -- 3.3 Growing Inequality and Poverty Undermine Welfare and Social Solidarity -- 3.4 Neo-liberal Austerity Policies and the Power of the Plutocracy Caused Growing Inequality and Absolute Poverty -- The contribution of neo-liberal austerity policies to rising inequality and poverty -- The plutocracy promoted and legitimized austerity policies -- 3.5 The Fear of Migration Has Been Used to Fuel Populism.