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    Economics for Humans
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    Economics for Humans
    Unavailable
    Economics for Humans
    Ebook153 pages2 hours

    Economics for Humans

    By Julie A. Nelson

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    At its core, an economy is about providing goods and services for human well-being. But many economists and critics preach that an economy is something far different: a cold and heartless system that operates outside of human control. In this impassioned and perceptive work, Julie A. Nelson asks a compelling question: If our economic world is something that we as humans create, aren’t ethics and human relationships—dimensions of a full and rich life—intrinsically part of the picture? Is it possible to take this thing we call economics and give it a body and a soul?

    Economics for Humans argues against the well-ingrained notion that economics is immune to moral values and distant from human relationships. Here, Nelson locates the impediment to envisioning a more considerate economic world in an assumption that is shared by both neoliberals and the political left. Despite their seemingly insurmountable differences, Nelson notes that they both make use of the metaphor, first proposed by Adam Smith, that the economy is a machine. This pervasive idea, Nelson argues, has blinded us to the qualities that make us work and care for one another—qualities that also make businesses thrive and markets grow. We can wed our interest in money with our justifiable concerns about ethics and social well-being. And we can do so if we recognize that an economy is not a machine, but a living, beating heart that circulates blood to all parts of the body while also serving as an emblem of compassion and care. 

    Nothing less than a manifesto, Economics for Humans will both invigorate and inspire readers to reshape the way they view the economy, its possibilities, and their place within it.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press
    Release dateFeb 15, 2010
    ISBN9780226572055
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for Economics for Humans

    3.5/5

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    • 5/5
      Apparently it really is true that economists made up a spherical human of uniform density, to make their equations easier, and never realized that this has no bearing on how the world actually works. I've always suspected it; now I just wonder how economics has continued to justify its own existence for so long.Nelson is arguing for a kinder, gentler capitalism, one that acknowledges that the economy is made up of *people* and assigns value accordingly. She does a good job of breaking down the ways the classical economic model fails, but I'm not so sure she's as good at making suggestions for how to improve what exists - she makes a good case for why progressives can still be (and possibly should be) capitalists, but she doesn't address the ways this could go horribly wrong in our current antagonistic two-party deathmatch of a political environment.
    • 5/5
      A very short, very succinct, but very enlightening perspective on economics. Nelson rejects the classical economic model of the economy as a machine, which is accepted by both pro- and anti-market partisans, and which prevents any substantive discussion of the economy. She shows how this model is not based on any real world data, but merely on the assumptions of neo-classical economists. Nelson offers an alternative metaphor/model: that of the heart. This model integrates both the need for material provisioning and for more humanist caring values, offering a venue for cooperation between the two sides.The book is brilliant in providing an alternative perspective on economics from one within the economics profession. Only the lack of detailed discussion of solutions for the problems of our economic structure--something seriously needed in our times--prevents a five-star rating.
    • 3/5
      In some ways, this book seems to be caught in a time warp. Nelson seems to be addressing an audience of 19th century or early 20th century readers. She argues that economists have a "mechanical" view of the economy as an amoral machine of production. Thus, social life is divided in half. The mechanical, male, materialistic half focuses on production, growth, and development. The caring, moral, female half of society focuses on intimacy and care of the soul. Nelson criticizes this dualism and argues that our economy will be much healthier when we learn that we cannot isolate moral concern from business enterprise.This notion of the separate spheres is all very 19th century, and Nelson even turns for answers to the Progressive Movement of the early 20th century, who also criticized the notion of separate spheres.Still, despite the naive and old-fashioned arguments, much of the book resonated with me. Perhaps, we still are trapped in these dualisms more than I thought.