Description:
Despite our fitful attempts over decades at reform, the global financial system seems caught in cycles of boom and bust, instability, and scandal. In this timely new book, Joel Magnuson builds on the classic works of E. F. Schumacher and other kindred spirits to provide a Buddhist economics perspective on this recurring pattern, and offers new possibilities for real change.
The book centers on the belief that greed, aggression, and delusion (Buddhism's "three poisons") are embedded within our financial institutions and that they perpetuate the continued widespread attachment to endless economic growth and financial accumulation that are responsible for social and ecological malaise. Arguing that mainstream economics fails to adequately address this cycle, Magnuson presents a new framework of Buddhist economics, helping readers gain a deeper understanding of current economic problems and offering a course toward genuine wellbeing.
Brief description: JOEL MAGNUSON, Ph.D. is an independent economist based in Portland, Oregon, USA. He is the author of several books as well numerous articles in journals and anthologies in the US, Europe, and Japan. His newest book, From Greed to Wellbeing, is forthcoming by Policy Press, 2016.
Review Quotes: "This is an insightful critique of our dysfunctional economic system, informed by Buddhist principles. Magnuson shows that the reforms usually proposed cannot alleviate the basic problem: a system that is self-destructive because it institutionalizes greed. And he offers a way forward implied by Buddhist teachings." David Loy, author of The Great Awakening: A Buddhist Social Theory