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A Manifesto for Social Progress: Ideas for a Better Society

A Manifesto for Social Progress: Ideas for a Better Society

by Amartya Sen (Foreword), Marc Fleurbaey (Author), Elisa Reis (Primary Contributor), Helga Nowotny (Primary Contributor), Marc Fleurbaey (Author), Amartya Sen (Foreword), Ravi Kanbur (Primary Contributor), Olivier Bouin (Primary Contributor), Marie-Laure Salles-Djelic (Primary Contributor)

  • New

    Paperback 2018

    $28.51
Synopsis

At this time when many have lost hope amidst conflicts, terrorism, environmental destruction, economic inequality and the breakdown of democracy, this beautifully written book outlines how to rethink and reform our key institutions - markets, corporations, welfare policies, democratic processes and transnational governance - to create better societies based on core principles of human dignity, sustainability, and justice. This new vision is based on the findings of over 300 social scientists involved in the collaborative, interdisciplinary International Panel on Social Progress. Relying on state-of-the-art scholarship, these social scientists reviewed the desirability and possibility of all relevant forms of long-term social change, explored current challenges, and synthesized their knowledge on the principles, possibilities, and methods for improving the main institutions of modern societies. Their common finding is that a better society is indeed possible, its contours can be broadly described, and all we need is to gather forces toward realizing this vision.

$28.51

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20 in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
 Pages: 248
 Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 30 Aug 2018
ISBN 10: 1108440924
ISBN 13: 9781108440929

Media Reviews
Advance praise: 'A Manifesto for Social Progress is a loud cry in favor of human dignity, irrespective of gender, race, religion, education, talent, and productive abilities. No cause is more important than social justice is for a better future of humanity, nor is there a better attempt to tackle the problem head-on than this book.' Ahmed Galal, Former Minister of Finance, Egypt
Advance praise: 'This is a most remarkable and dearly needed book. Its analysis of the current predicament of modern society is as sharp as its vision for overcoming the paradoxes and dilemmas is powerful. It carefully balances the pitfalls, dangers, and opportunities of the current state of global economic and political affairs, and imaginatively opens up routes for a future world which is at once more just, more democratic and more sustainable. A must read!' Hartmut Rosem, Chair for Sociology and Social Theory, Friedrich-Schiller-Universitat Jena
Advance praise: 'This book lucidly articulates that social progress is not a given. It emerges from the genuine recognition of our limitations, the importance of our instincts for inclusion as citizens, and our audacity to imagine a better future for all. The book also challenges us to integrate participatory processes in our interactions and decisions with a clear vision and a strategy for a desired transformation for the wellbeing of all in a sustainable planet.' Youba Sokona, IPCC Vice-Chair
Advance praise: 'Filled with stimulating intellectual reflections and deep analytical insights, this book offers us a unique opportunity to improve our understanding of the manifold, mutually interdependent social processes in an increasingly globalized world. It not only addresses the many Janus faces of the evolution of contemporary societies but also provides us with crucial elements for a vision of our social future in an 'emancipating state'.' Willhelm Krull, Secretary General, Volkswagen Foundation
Advance praise: 'Analyses of society have been marked by pessimism and resignation for many years now. This book is refreshingly optimistic, and above all, realistic.' Maurizio Ferraris, University of Turin
Advance praise: 'Is there reasonable hope for a sustainably generalizable and better way of life on earth, despite the mind-boggling challenges human progress has brought upon itself? Yes, there is - rooted in an impressive and unprecedented multidisciplinary enterprise, this little book proves it.' Philippe Van Parijs, Hoover Chair of Economic and Social Ethics, Universite catholique de Louvain
Advance praise: 'Better is always possible: this is the vision of the authors of this book, and it is also the vision of our government. The book's focus on well-being and freedom, fairness, diversity and inclusion, as well as transparency and engagement provides a strong ethical and practical foundation for that vision. I commend the authors for their book's demonstration of how social science can serve the common good, and how, together, hope and hard work can lead to a better world.' The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, Quebec
Author Bio
Marc Fleurbaey is an economist, professor at Princeton University (Woodrow Wilson School and Center for Human Values) and member of College d'Etudes Mondiales (Paris FMSH). He is the co-author of Beyond GDP (with Didier Blanchet, 2013), A Theory of Fairness and Social Welfare (with Francois Maniquet, Cambridge, 2011), and the author of Fairness, Responsibility and Welfare (2008). He was a coordinating lead author for the IPCC 5th Report, and one of the initiators of the International Panel on Social Progress. He is also a member of the UN Committee on Development Policy, and of the Council for Global Problem-Solving. Olivier Bouin is an economist, director of the Reseau francais des instituts d'etudes avancees (RFIEA) foundation that supports Institutes for Advanced Study worldwide and former director of the College d'Etudes Mondiales (Paris). He is the co-editor of Europe's Crises (with Manuel Castells et al, 2017) and the co-author of Economic and Political Democracy: Key Challenges Ahead (2018). He is a member of the Governing Board of the European Alliance for Social Sciences and Humanities, and one of the initiators of the International Panel on Social Progress. Marie-Laure Salles-Djelic is a sociologist, professor and dean of the School of Management and Innovation at Sciences Po. Her research focuses on the interface between business and society - the historical transformation of capitalism, the cross-national diffusion of ideas and practices, business ethics and corporate social responsibility, transnational governance and the performative role of ideologies. She has published broadly on those issues in academic journals and books. In particular, she is the author of Exporting the American Model (1998), winner of the 2000 Max Weber Award (American Sociological Association) and, together with Sigrid Quack, of Transnational Communities: Shaping Global Economic Governance (Cambridge, 2010). Ravi Kanbur is an economist, Professor at Cornell University. He has served on the senior staff of the World Bank including as Chief Economist for Africa. He is President of the Human Development and Capabilities Association, Chair of the Board of United Nations University-World Institute for Development Economics Research, member of the OECD High Level Expert Group on the Measurement of Economic Performance, Past-President of the Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, past member of the High Level Advisory Council of the Climate Justice Dialogue, and past-member of the Core Group of the Commission on Global Poverty. Helga Nowotny is Professor emerita of Social Studies of Science, Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule Zurich and Former President of the European Research Council, ERC. Currently she is Chair of the ERA Council Forum Austria and Visiting Professor at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Her active engagement in scientific boards includes the Walling Falls Foundation (member); Lindau Nobel Laureate meetings (Vice-President); Complexity Science Hub Vienna (Chair); among others. Her latest book publications are The Cunning of Uncertainty (2016) and An Orderly Mess (2017). Elisa Reis is a political sociology professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and chair of the Interdisciplinary Network for Social Inequalities Studies (NIED). Her research focuses on elite perceptions of poverty and inequality, and on contemporary changes in the patterns of interaction between state, market and society. She has published widely in Brazilian and foreign periodicals. She is one of the authors of the book by Michele Lamont et al. Getting Respect: Responding to Stigma and Discrimination in the United States, Brazil and Israel (2016).