The Infinite Desire for Growth

"A compact book whose easy-reading style could easily obscure the profundity of its argument. Daniel Cohen's ultimately hopeful message is that the waning of the religion of growth could create the space for a renewed humanism."--Prospect "This interesting and thought-provoking book considers the question of whether humanity needs to live in a state of permanent aspiration. Its breadth of reference is remarkably impressive."--Howard Davies, author of Can Financial Markets Be Controlled? "This erudite and opinionated book keeps readers on tenterhooks: Will humanity emerge intact from the tensions between the endless desire for growth and the economy's (and earth's) limits? Cohen's conclusion is elegant, hopeful, and controversial. An unputdownable masterpiece."--Esther Duflo, coauthor of Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty "Can modern society survive slow growth? In The Infinite Desire for Growth, Cohen presents on balance among the best and most accessible analyses of this central and very important issue. This is an interesting, forthright, and worthwhile book from an author who brings humanity to economics."--Jeff Madrick, author of Seven Bad Ideas: How Mainstream Economists Have Damaged America and the World "An utterly absorbing journey from the wheel to the iPhone."---Sharon Shinn, BizEd "[A] stimulating book of wide scope drawing on a range of disciplines."---David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer "The book is a statement of hope, a plea for mankind to stop running in the rat race and start seeing the roses. Amen!"---J. Bhattacharya, Choice

Daniel Cohen (19532023) was director of the Economics Department at the cole Normale Suprieure in Paris and a founding member of the Paris School of Economics. His many books include The Inglorious Years: The Collapse of the Industrial Order and the Rise of Digital Society (Princeton), Globalization and Its Enemies, and The Prosperity of Vice: A Worried View of Economics.