Abstract

Economics for People and the Planet, a collection of essays by James K. Boyce on the environment, inequality and the economy, argues that there is not an inexorable trade-off between advancing human well-being and having a clean and safe environment. The goal of economic policy should be to grow the good things that improve our well-being and environmental quality and reduce the bad things that harm humans and nature. To reorient the economy for these ends, we will need to achieve a more egalitarian distribution of wealth and power. Global climate change – the most pressing environmental challenge of our time – adds urgency to this task and creates historic opportunities for moving towards a greener future.

‘In this elegantly written, carefully crafted, deeply personal and every bit policy-relevant volume, James Boyce adds essential new chapters on climate change, sustainable growth, universal income and, yes, the last passenger pigeon. Indispensable and delightful read for anyone interested in economics for the twenty-first century.’
—Éloi Laurent, Economist, Sciences Po, France, and Stanford University, USA

'Economics for People and the Planet' brings together recent essays by James K. Boyce on the environment, inequality, and the economy.

Part One, Rethinking Economics and the Environment, challenges some common assumptions, including the beliefs that economic growth is incompatible with environmental sustainability, capitalist firms single-mindedly pursue profits, and human beings are inherently bad for nature.

Part Two, Environmental Injustice, opens with the author’s 2017 Leontief Prize lecture, and discusses how inequalities in the distribution of wealth and power shape both the distribution of environmental harm and the magnitude of environmental degradation.

Part Three, The Political Economy of Climate Policy, addresses the pre-eminent environmental challenge of our time, highlighting how progressive climate policies not only can benefit future generations worldwide but also can improve health and economic well-being today in the countries adopting them.

‘In accessible and pithy, bite-size essays, Boyce shows how the inequality in wealth and power is both a cause and consequence of environmental degradation and social injustice. A great read for experts and a new generation alike.’
—Kevin P. Gallagher, Professor of Global Development Policy, and Director, Global Development Policy Center, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University, USA

‘Starting from first principles Boyce offers a range of essays that inform, challenge and inspire. Highly readable, thoroughly engaging and always policy relevant, this is a delightful and compelling addition to the literature on climate change, environmental justice and global sustainability.’
—Manuel Pastor, Professor, Sociology / American Studies & Ethnicity, Turpanjian Chair in Civil Society and Social Change, University of Southern California, USA

James K. Boyce is a senior fellow at the Political Economy Research Institute and professor emeritus of economics, University of Massachusetts Amherst, USA. His previous books include Economics, the Environment, and Our Common Wealth (2013), Reclaiming Nature (2007), Natural Assets (2003) and The Political Economy of the Environment (2002).