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6th out of 17 books
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3 voters
Betterness: Economics for Humans
by
Umair Haque
ebook
Published
(first published December 15th 2011)
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Around 2006 or so, while idiot pundits were on CNBC and CNN declaring how great the economy was while my personal economics and economics of my community were on a steady decline, I started to believe that if our economic indicators show we are doing well then certainly those indicators have to be broken. Now as we enter a period of history where 50% of the U.S. population are low income or in poverty while our national prognosticators say the economy is not in a recession we are at that point o...more
Haque's strength is an associative one. He draws connections between things we know and understand (and don't like) to economic things we're not quite sure about. His pictures clarify the blurry arguments of economic problems into ethical issues, which I love.
Some great quotes:
On our inability to demand a better economic system than what we currently have:
"Just like a patient on a nineteenth century couch, our regimen rests on a foundational belief: that, at its best, an economy is one that's no...more
Some great quotes:
On our inability to demand a better economic system than what we currently have:
"Just like a patient on a nineteenth century couch, our regimen rests on a foundational belief: that, at its best, an economy is one that's no...more
Betterness: Economics for Humans (Kindle Single) (Kindle Edition)
One LGA to ORD flight later I am still percolating on what this truly means. There is so much 'humanness' built into 6 short chapters I find myself more than a bit in awe. To discuss in such a tight set of concepts what may be 'not right' about our current pursuit of often purely financial metrics for business when in fact a notion of Common Wealth is a far more rational thing to consider is quite a feat.
The current state of 'busin...more
One LGA to ORD flight later I am still percolating on what this truly means. There is so much 'humanness' built into 6 short chapters I find myself more than a bit in awe. To discuss in such a tight set of concepts what may be 'not right' about our current pursuit of often purely financial metrics for business when in fact a notion of Common Wealth is a far more rational thing to consider is quite a feat.
The current state of 'busin...more
I love a paradigm shift and Umair delivers in spades here.
He starts with an analogy between economics and psychology. Up until the turn of the last century psychology had been entirely concerned with curing mental illness, but the work of Havard professor William James turned the discipline on its head by adding the dimension of positive psychology. He shifted the question from ‘how do we fix people with problems?’ to ‘how do we help people realise their full potential?’. Perhaps economic and bu...more
He starts with an analogy between economics and psychology. Up until the turn of the last century psychology had been entirely concerned with curing mental illness, but the work of Havard professor William James turned the discipline on its head by adding the dimension of positive psychology. He shifted the question from ‘how do we fix people with problems?’ to ‘how do we help people realise their full potential?’. Perhaps economic and bu...more
A friend argued for the "this post-Umair Haque mindset where I want to see new ideas for our social/political/economic system, not established things." I liked Betterness. I think Umair really dropped the ball on addressing the patriarchal superstructure of capitalism. His analysis assumes that everybody's already equal and that's what stuff like the PSL 10-point plan address: The complete lack of equity. I agree that it would be cool to see new ideas in regards to society, politics, and economi...more
This ebook was a fascinating read, full of hope for a new paradigm of human transaction beyond that of soul-sucking, cut-throat, competitive profit making (otherwise known as "business.") Haque asks tough questions of the status quo, such as, "Why is the generally accepted definition of prosperity the growth of industrial output, not the emotional, social, intellectual, physical, or ethical growth of humans?" He goes on to argue that "profit itself is an industrial-era conception of performance"...more
Short and sweet.
The way business should be thought of; one can only hope that it is the start of next phase, however, as Umair states this "new thinking" represents a paradigm shift from the way we currently view markets.
When one considers the historical perspectives, though, it is more likely a return to a pre-industrialized / pre-stockmarketized time. What I was struck with when reading the book is how self-centered/focused we have become as a society. When we were involved in building our na...more
The way business should be thought of; one can only hope that it is the start of next phase, however, as Umair states this "new thinking" represents a paradigm shift from the way we currently view markets.
When one considers the historical perspectives, though, it is more likely a return to a pre-industrialized / pre-stockmarketized time. What I was struck with when reading the book is how self-centered/focused we have become as a society. When we were involved in building our na...more
I am a regular consumer of Umair's writings and interviews. This book, or what might aptly be called a treatise, shows his emergence as a leading 21st Century thinker and communicator. Summing it up in three words I'd call this work pithy, empowering, and advancing. Linking his description of a new paradigm in economic and business practice theory to the late 20th Century expansion of psychology into the realm of positive psychology is nothing short of brilliant.
On a broader note, I couldn't he...more
On a broader note, I couldn't he...more
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This book contains some interesting thoughts about the fact that measuring cash profit is probably not the best metric that should guide business and governmental decisions. One can easily find oneself in a "zero sum game" in which for profits to go somewhere, they have to get out of somewhere else, so you end up having just winners and losers, but not actual growth in the society.
While I think there is a lot of truth to it, I probably was hoping for a more structured treatise on the subject. Th...more
While I think there is a lot of truth to it, I probably was hoping for a more structured treatise on the subject. Th...more
Really strong rhetoric, likening business as we know it to traditional psychology (curing sick people), and suggesting the term "Betterness" to be the parallel to positive psychology. Further, that business has stagnated (ref: first decade of 2000s) and companies that are winning now are already embracing Betterness (Whole Foods, Walmart, Pixar, etc...).
I always find Haque inspiring. It's a short book, but probably could have been condensed into a long blog post. He does provide some good langua...more
I always find Haque inspiring. It's a short book, but probably could have been condensed into a long blog post. He does provide some good langua...more
For such a short read, Umair Haque's second book offers up more of this profound thinker's forward-looking ideas on reimagining the way we do business. Not an anti-business screed, Haque is perfectly happy for us all t make money. But what else is there? Where is the real, tangible, actual good for humanity in the way we do things.
Haque's vision of changed business will make me sit down and articulate how my business behaves in a world where we conduct "betterness" instead. So too, to evaluate w...more
Haque's vision of changed business will make me sit down and articulate how my business behaves in a world where we conduct "betterness" instead. So too, to evaluate w...more
No more dry business as usual. Hague points out the profound lack of vision that our out-dated, industrial aged economic paradigm has and how we do a whole lot of work without much creation of the kinds of capital that can do humanity any real good. In the future, business success will be measured by the real good the business can do and have little to do with returns for the shareholders. Sound like heresy? It is, the good kind.
Dec 21, 2011
Roy Kenagy
marked it as to-read
e-book single from @umairh, "Betterness: Economics for Humans" released Monday http://bitly.com/s03kCH ~My first Kindle download
""Betterness: Economics for Humans" is a powerful call to arms for a post-capitalist economy. Umair Haque argues that just as positive psychology revolutionized our understanding of mental health by recasting the field as more than just treating mental illness, we need to rethink our economic paradigm."
""Betterness: Economics for Humans" is a powerful call to arms for a post-capitalist economy. Umair Haque argues that just as positive psychology revolutionized our understanding of mental health by recasting the field as more than just treating mental illness, we need to rethink our economic paradigm."
Jan 25, 2012
Emily Leathers
marked it as to-read
(Disclaimer: this rating is based on reading only the kindle sample.)
The concept seems interesting but the execution is boring. I probably won't bother to read the rest unless I stumble upon a lot of extra time (which is unlikely).
The concept seems interesting but the execution is boring. I probably won't bother to read the rest unless I stumble upon a lot of extra time (which is unlikely).
Apr 21, 2013
Kevin Miller
marked it as to-read
Umair wrote a post on "Reason" that was by far one of the best things I've ever read. Resonated with me to the nth degree.
WHY
WHY
May 04, 2012
Nathanael Boehm
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Nathanael by:
Stephen Collins
Shelves:
favourite
What an inspiring read! A vision for a post-capitalist future (as we know it) that doesn't shy away from the need for people and entities to earn money and profit. A new way of looking at economics and the world that we need to seriously look at. Changed my view, and in some ways pushed me over the edge of my wavering opinion on the ethics of business as we do it today. We need to step back from the edge of burning out our environment and our people and realise that we can both earn money and be...more
Very interesting ideas represented here, and as I read this book, I kept hearing repeated themes elsewhere. Essentially: businesses must deliver more than just money. They have to add to the common-wealth - to make the world better. Thus the name of the book. Blog post percolating.
Not a perfect book but full of important ideas. Hopefully we'll come to see some of those becoming a reality.
One of my North Star books!
Read this. It will change you.
Read! Brilliant. Enough said.
Jun 17, 2013
Marcell Mars
marked it as mydigitallibrary
Jun 11, 2013
Bobby
marked it as to-read
Jun 11, 2013
Enisa Serhati
marked it as to-read
Jun 09, 2013
Michelle
marked it as to-read
Jun 05, 2013
Gopal Mali
marked it as to-read
May 28, 2013
Grace
marked it as to-read
May 20, 2013
Zia
marked it as to-read
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Umair Haque is Director of the Havas Media Lab and author of The New Capitalist Manifesto: Building a Disruptively Better Business. He also founded Bubblegeneration, an agenda-setting advisory boutique that shaped strategies across media and consumer industries.
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