Growth Fetish - Softcover

'Right on target and badly needed.' Noam Chomsky 'Breaks new ground by asking us to think what a post-growth, environmentally stable society might actually be like. . . . Clearly, stylishly written.' Hugh Stretton 'An incisive critique of how the global economic and political systems have turned us into the miserable rich. Whatever you choose to do and wherever you go, you will benefit from keeping as copy of Growth Fetish tucked up your sleeve.' Sydney Morning Herald 'This is a powerful statement about the failure of the rat-race society and the need for a new philosophy of sociable living.' Professor Richard Layard, London School of Economics For decades our political leaders and opinion makers have touted higher incomes as the way to a better future. Economic growth means better lives for us all. But after many years of sustained economic growth and increased personal incomes we must confront an awful fact: we aren't any happier. This is the great contradiction of modern politics. In this provocative new book, Clive Hamilton argues that, far from being the answer to our problems, growth fetishism and the marketing society lie at the heart of our social ills. They have corrupted our social priorities and political structures, and have created a profound sense of alienation among young and old. Growth Fetish is the first serious attempt at a politics of change for rich countries dominated by sicknesses of affluence, where the real yearning is not for more money but for authentic identity, and where the future lies in creating a society that promotes the things that really do improve our well-being.

Clive Hamilton is Executive Director of The Australia Institute, Australia's foremost public-interest think tank. He has held visiting academic positions at the ANU, University of Sydney, University of Technology Sydney and the University of Cambridge. Described in the press as Australia's most influential economist on the left and Australia's leading environmental economist, he is the author of six books and his views feature regularly in major news outlets.