Katherine's review
The Affluent Society (Penguin Business)
by John Kenneth Galbraith
Katherine's review
The Affluent Society (Penguin Business) by John Kenneth Galbraith
Katherine's review
rating:
J.K. Galbraith argues that, due to new technologies that maximize resources and prolong the lifespan of the workforce, this era is characterized by relative affluence, and past ones by relative poverty. Therefore, the old assumptions in economics about the scarcity of resources and the efficiencies of distribution will have to be reworked. Galbraith was one of the first economists to argue that funding infrastructure - parks, libraries, health care, schools, transportation - didn't represent a deadweight loss to society but rather an investment in social stability, quality of life, and the development of an intelligent workforce. Dated, but still very interesting.
