Book Description
Small is Beautiful is the perfect antidote to the economics of globalization. As relevant today as when it was first published, this is a landmark set of essays on humanistic economics. This 25th anniversary edition brings Schumacher's ideas into focus for the end-of-the-century by adding commentaries by contemporary thinkers who have been influenced by Schumacher. They analyze the impact of his philosophy on current political and economic thought. Small is Beautiful is the classic of common-sense economics upon which many recent trends in our society are founded. This is economics from the heart rather than from just the bottom line.
Customer Reviews:
Classic.......2007-06-27
A bit outdated but given that it was written in the 70s this book is very inspiring ans still very applicable (if not even more applicable today than in the past). In any event it is truly a classic in ecological economics. There are certainly many critics of this book but its significance is immense. I must say that we economists really need to work on our writing abilities because not all of the works are easy to read for non-economist audience. Yet Schumacher manages just that.
Small IS Beautiful!.......2007-01-26
I've never been all that interested in macroeconomics, but intrigued by the title, I gave Small is Beautiful by E.F. Schumacher a try. It was a long read, but a good one, and I culled interesting insights from every chapter. Schumacher's visionary simplicity with the largest elements of society were radical 30 years ago, but incredibly relevant, then and today.
A fair portion of the book is spent emphasizing the way our economy is unsustainable and how quickly we use up our natural resources. Schumacher also explains how little consideration was put towards pollution until it was too late. In the folksy way of a 60s radical, he speaks about the importance of the land in a way that is neither hollow nor flippant, but full of wisdom and grace.
"The whole point is to determine what constitutes progress." What is progress? What should aid to the third world look like? These questions are where Schumacher particularly shines, explaining a need for intermediate technologies to improve the quality of life for everyone and not just investments which only improve the quality of life for the highest classes and leave the lower ones even more destitute.
"No system or machinery or economic doctrine or theory stands on its own feet: it is invariably built on a metaphysical foundation, that is to say, upon man's basic outlook on life, its meaning and its purpose. I have talked about the religion of economics, the idol worship of material possessions, of consumption and the so-called standard of living, and the fateful propensity that rejoices in the fact that `what were luxuries to our fathers have become necessities for us.'" wrote Schumacher. What do our economic values say about us?
Let's Get Small.......2006-01-23
This is one of the radical books of the '60s --read: life-changing/ world/ changing. About a million people love this book (I've told you a thousand times to stop exaggerating), and a zillion have reviewed it. I merely refer to a little-known interview in the Christian Century magazine with E.F. Schumacher regarding the chapter in this book, "Buddhist Economics." The author revealed that is was to be called "Catholic Economics," but the anti-Catholic (and anti-ethnic) press of the time was so successful and relentless in its propaganda that he changed the chapter's title.
In another interview he told a story of speaking at the Buddhist Naropa Institute, where he tried to relate the book's principles to Buddhist philosophy. "No, we want you to tell us about Christianity," replied the predominantly Asian audience. All of which underscores Chesterton's dictum that Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and not tried. For those interested in tracking down the literature, there was also a significant article in the Whole Earth Review called "Who Cut Down the Sacred Tree?" showing that monks and nuns have long observed ecological practices and made use of what is now called appropriate technology. Schumacher took the title of another of his books, "A Guide for the Perplexed" from the Mediaeval Jewish author Moses Maimonides, again demonstrating that it is not the ancients but we moderns (and post-moderns), mad devotees of the myth of progress, who have forgotten that "small is beautiful."
Fantasy Economics.......2005-02-23
I received this book as a gift, and found it unreadable. For example, EFS says cost/benefit analysis "is a procedure by which the higher is reduced to the level of the lower and the priceless is given a price". This is meaningless rhetoric to me. It also assumes that only economics provides a guide to human behavior. Or that all economic analysis is totally rational. Schumacher questioned every assumption of "economic science" using theories from the anarchist tradition. Schumacher claimed neocolonialism is the result of politics, not economic principles. But doesn't class and sectional interests drive politics? His advocacy of a search for inward spiritual space, and a rejection of the real world of politics and economics, makes this book part of the problem and not part of the solution.
The 'Introduction' says Gandhi wanted to use "labor-intensive manufacture and handicrafts" (p.5). Milovan Djilas said it was important for newly liberated countries to use mass production ("The New Class"). The historical record over the past centuries should tell you who was right or wrong. Liberating revolutions result in more production and other benefits for the people; else they're not liberating. Unlimited economic growth overlooks the availability of basic resources and the capacity of the environment. But there's always some natural problem that causes a correction.
This is a very verbose book whose arguments rest on unquestioned assumptions. Since it was published in 1973 Thatcher's regime destroyed Britain's coal industry to make them dependent on imported oil and gas. We've seen what happened after they divided and privatized the railroads. But who benefited from these political decisions?
Part II Chapter 3 notes that western Europe "deliberately destroyed nearly half of their coal industries". But the economy in neocolonialist countries will always suffer to benefit the imperialist ruling country. American was a net petroleum exporter until 1967, and influenced Saudi Arabia and Iran (just like Great Britain did previously). You can also consider the actions of Jimmy Carter against nuclear reactors. France and Japan use nuclear power, they have no oil. Saudi Arabia uses nuclear power so they can profitably sell their oil abroad. Those who criticized this book showed good judgment and wisdom. You can read this book and judge its worth for yourself.
Many important ideas.......2004-01-26
"The whole point is to determine what constitutes progress." Fritz Schumacher published Small is Beautiful in 1973, but the vast majority of his text is still relevant today, if not more so. This book can be read as a response to the Washington Consensus and Chicago school economist perspectives of metric-based laissez faire economics driven by efficiency, often at the expense of class polarization and increasing inequality, that pervade the shallow "common-sense" understandings of amateur economists and the general United States population: "...growth of GNP must be a good thing, irrespective of what has grown and who, if anyone, has benefited." Schumacher recognizes that "...economists, for all their purported objectivity, are the most narrowly ethnocentric of people. ...since their world view is a cultural by-product of industrialism, they automatically endorse the ecological stupidity of industrial man and his love affair with the terrible simplicities of quantification."
Schumacher responds with a broad, big-picture discussion of our economic culture, noting that sustainability is an impossibility when ever growing demands for increased production, "assuming all the time that a man who consumers more is 'better off' than a man who consumes less", expend an environment with finite resources. He notes that lasting peace is threatened by extraordinarily unequal distributions of power and access to resources, "what else could be the result but an intense struggle for oil supplies, even a violent struggle," and echoes Gandhi's disapproval of "dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good." Schumacher criticizes trump card economic judgments, arguing that "society, or a group or an individual within society, may decide to hang on to an activity or asset for non-economic reasons - social, aesthetic, moral, or political," and further noting that the judgment of modern economics is a fragmentary judgment, caring only "whether a thing yields a money profit to those who undertake it or not.... It is a great error to assume, for instance, that the methodology of economics is normally applied to determine whether an activity carried on by a group within society yields profit to society as a whole." The market, he argues, "is the institutionalization of individualism and non-responsibility.... To be relieved of all responsibility except to oneself means of course an enormous simplification of business. We can recognize that it is practical and need not be surprised that it is highly popular among businessmen." Commenting on this culture of self-interest, he quotes Tolstoy: "I sit on a man's back, choking him, and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by any means possible, except getting off his back."
While economics teaches us that "the ideal from the point of view of the employer is to have output without employees, and the ideal from the point of view of the employee is to have income without employment," Schumacher believes this perspective fails to understand that a persons acts both as a producer and consumer: "If man-as-producer travels first-class or uses a luxurious car, this is called a waste of money; but if the same man in his other incarnation of man-as-consumer does the same, this is called a sign of a high standard of life." Furthermore, "to strive for leisure as an alternative to work would be considered a complete misunderstanding of one of the basic truths of human existence, namely that work and leisure are complementary parts of the same living process and cannot be separated without destroying the joy of work and the bliss of leisure."
Schumacher also comments on science and a set of nineteenth century scientific ideas which have become the lenses through which we have learned to interpret the world. He argues for care in selecting the direction of scientific research, since, "as Einstein himself said, 'almost all scientists are economically completely dependent' and 'the number of scientists who possess a sense of social responsibility is so small' that they cannot determine the direction of research."
In Part III, Schumacher explores third-world economic development. He notes the power dynamic inherent in the non-democratic system of free trade as it exists today: "It is a strange phenomenon indeed that the conventional wisdom of present-day economics can do nothing to help the poor. Invariably it proves that only such policies are viable as have in fact the result of making those already rich and powerful, richer and more powerful." He explores models for third world development, focusing on appropriate technology that can avoid creating a dual-economy, which affects the power structure and causes systemic migration: "It is always possible to create small ultra-modern islands in a pre-industrial society. But such islands will then have to be defended, like fortresses, and provisioned, as it were, by helicopter from far away." He argues instead for distribution of development resources to non-capital-intensive human-scale projects that can be maintained by local people, maximizing the level of useful employment rather than productivity per person. He emphasizes that appropriateness can be assessed only through learning local culture and working with and through local people: "As long as we think we know, when in fact we do not, we shall continue to go to the poor and demonstrate to them all the marvelous things they could do if they were already rich." He also warns against crippling dependence on foreign powers for supply or demand: "the role of the poor is to be gap-fillers fin the requirements of the rich," and focuses instead on small-scale development of local focus.
Overall, while I cannot agree with all of Schumacher's assessments, I doubt that "small is beautiful" can be a true universal claim, I question his assumptions of gender roles and his naïveté about realpolitik, and I also feel that his periodic appeal to religious rhetoric and "beauty" somewhat obstructs his message, I do feel that he makes a great many strong points and encourages the reader to question conventional economic wisdom and look for a deeper understanding of the world.
Customer Reviews:
Actually full of useful information!.......2005-09-29
It seems that a great number of architecture books of this type exist solely to promote the author's personal design philosophy. This book, however, is full of design guidelines based on feedback from residents of both public and private high-density housing. Many (if not most) of the guidelines could be applied to almost any housing type (from low-income public housing to high-end private developments.) At the very least, the book gets designers thinking about how people use and perceive the buildings in which they live.
A very useful book.......2001-05-17
This book is both a call for better designed medium density housing and a source book on how to achieve that end. The great thing about this book is that it provides simple design and layout advice for housing projects based on detailed research and post occupancy evaluations. This book sets out what works in housing design. I think every planner or designer should have this book close at hand.
Book Description
With Cold War politics lost as the organizing principle behind international politics, development has become the most import policy goal of every international organization. There is an underside (and a human side) to development, and feminism has made inroads into the highly technical debates and frothy prophecies by examining what the future really holds for the people who will live it. This book highlights the ways in which feminist analysis has contributed to a richer understanding of international development and globalization. By combining theoretical, empirical, and political perspectives and discusses cutting-edge debates around development, globalization, economic restructuring, and feminist economics, Gender, Development and Globalization presents the ultimate primer on global feminist economics.
Customer Reviews:
tough but worth it.........2005-04-25
This is a great book but it would benefit readers to have a base on economics. This is NOT easy reading. For a relatively quick reader, one chapter takes well over an hour to get through. Full of valuable information-know economics and international politics.
Book Description
How might we see world affairs if we started with people, families, and communities instead of presidents, governments, and militaries? After all, it is people who make up cities, states, and corporations, and it is their beliefs and behaviors that explai
Customer Reviews:
Misleading Title........2005-09-26
This book's title and its thesis "seem" to suggest that it is all about the impact of people on politics, but in fact it is about feminism. The topic, feminism, is fine; anything under disguise is not.
It is not quite an academic book with logical arguments but rather a propaganda with a few claims that are appealing accompanied by loads of emotional examples exposing the unfairness of this world which do nothing to strengthen the previous claims.
Book Description
Vivid description of how environmentalism is crippling America's natural resource industries with restrictions and rhetoric. Criticizes corporations for failing to come to the defense of their employees jobs and their communities' tax bases.
Average customer rating:
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As If People Mattered
Bernard H. Baum
Manufacturer: AuthorHouse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 General
| Organizational Behavior
| Business & Investing
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General
| Business & Investing
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Human Resources & Personnel Management
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Organizational Behavior
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ASIN: 1420823086 |
Book Description
What is the nature and role of dignity in organizations? Why do managers, professionals, employees, clients, and patients identify with the idea that organizations universally violate their dignity? What can we learn from taking a close look at what participants in organizations feel about their sense of worth? Why should we care? Based on hundreds of interviews, this volume answers such questions. For example, how significant is this screaming of the protagonist in "Network." "I'm mad as hell, and I won't take it anymore." But he does-day in, day out-adapting to the abuse and eroding the emotional well-being of his personality. Dignity is an understudied concept in organizational research, as is fear, a correlate of indignity. This work shows how managers feel free to denigrate dignity by virtue of the authority vested in their position and by the impersonality of the organization. For example, the reference to management persons as "they" or "management." The volume begins with an academic approach to the issue of dignity in organizations. But the best academic work should result in actual practice. That is how this book views it. The book blends fieldwork and theory. It is a theoretically driven study of the nature of dignity in organizations and its role in the life of participants in organizations. Finally, the volume concludes with concrete approaches to promoting dignity and dignifying strategies in the organization.
Average customer rating:
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Alternative Budgets: Budgeting as if People Mattered
John Loxley
Manufacturer: Fernwood Publishing Co., Ltd.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Economic Policy & Development
| Economics
| Business & Investing
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Macroeconomics
| Economics
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Public Finance
| Economics
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Debt & Deficits
| Economics
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General
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Public Policy
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General
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ASIN: 1552661059 |
Book Description
Alternative budgets are presented as a method of political mobilization that advances fiscally responsible government allocation of resources in this treatise on the enlightened alternatives to the neoconservative agenda of slashing social services. The basics of budgeting, the technical and political contexts of budgeting, and the relationship between budget legislation and fiscal constraints on governments are among the issues discussed to make the more esoteric aspects of budgeting understandable. A budget that emphasizes the needs of poor people, women, and the environment is outlined with information on how to construct alternative budgets, analyze the possibilities of government funding, and mobilize political activists to propose clear, affordable alternatives to neoliberal government cutbacks.
Average customer rating:
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As If Peoples Mattered:Critical Appraisal of Peoples and Minorities from the International Human Rights Perspective and Beyond (Raoul Wallenberg Institute Human Rights Library, 4.)
Zelim Skurbaty
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Civil Rights & Liberties
| Current Events
| Nonfiction
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General
| Political Science
| Social Sciences
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Rights
| Political Science
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Human Rights
| Politics
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Civil Law
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General
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| Law
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Environmental & Natural Resources Law
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General
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General
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Civil Law
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Environmental & Natural Resources Law
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International Law
| Law
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ASIN: 9041113428 |
Book Description
Ours is an era of decline for the nation state and one of world-wide concern for the problems surrounding sub-state groups: minorities, peoples and indigenous populations. The often violent resurgence of conflicts between these groups and States in even the stable democracies poses a challenge to international law as well as to liberal political principles. In this volume, an expert in international minority rights provides not only significant clarification of the legal issues involved, but also trenchant insights taken from a wide range of humanitarian disciplines: from philosophy and systems theory to neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and transactional analysis (TA). The result is a meticulously researched book exploring from a variety of perspectives the terms `peoples' and `minorities' in international law as well as relationships between minorities, peoples and indigenous rights, individuation and self-determination. Of special interest is the attempt of the author to explain the existence of double standards in international minority rights (dubbing them `games') with the help of transactional analysis, and to redefine and reframe the basic terms such as `international law', `sovereignty', `self- determination', etc. The straightforward claim of the author is that the proposed theories can help both members of minorities and those in executive positions to gain insights on the cognitive level and make more congruent, community-oriented decisions on the practical level. The book will hold particular appeal for all those interested in the international law of human rights, politics and philosophy, as well as students seeking a multi-disciplinary perspective on these much-debated areas.
Book Description
Through a set of lively anecdotes and essays, Nathaniel Borenstein traces the divergence between the fields of software engineering and user-centered software design, and attempts to reconcile the needs of people in both camps. Through a set of lively anecdotes and essays, Nathaniel Borenstein traces the divergence between the fields of software engineering and user-centered software design, and attempts to reconcile the needs of people in both camps.
Customer Reviews:
Look past the examples for timeless principles.......2002-08-12
Some of the reviews seem hung up on the "dated" quality of the examples. I think you need to look past this to see the underlying principles. For example, there is a chapter called "The quest for the perfect line editor". The example given is the change from line editors like ed to full screen editors like vi. The underlying principle is difficulty people have in accepting change. Or, the following quote "It may help to think of the user community as being like a preschool full of screaming three-year-olds. One doesn't have to rush to respond every time one of them cries a little bit, as crying is entirely natural for young children. But if some of all of the children begin to wail frequently, something is probably wrong and an investigation is warranted. If what they're all crying is "I want a cookie," that doesn't necessarily mean you should give them all cookies, but you might consider making them a healthy lunch to meet the underlying real need." Excellent advice, and a universal principle, from a chapter called "Listen to your users, but ignore what they say".
Dated, but still some good insight.......2002-05-02
Once upon a time, "Programming as if People Mattered" might be mentioned in the same article as books like "The Design of Everyday Things." Alas, unlike wine, even excellent software design books do not age well.
Whereas "The Design of Everyday Things" has been updated and refined, this book is stuck in 1991. Many of the insights of the book are excellent, but there's a lot of material that is simply no longer relevant. I can only recommend this book to people who are willing to look past the pedantic style, occasional irrelevancies, and evaluations of decade old technology. I'd recommend Alan Cooper's book The Inmates are Running the Asylum instead, though that has its own problems.
If you can look past the obvious defects, there's a lot here for readers interested in user interface design. It's all anecdotal, but it's squares well with other quantitative works.
If you got this far in the review, there's a lot in the book to reward you for looking past the obvious defects. The primary source for Borenstein is his work on Andrew, a large Carnegie-Mellon University project, which, for various reasons, was reduced to a footnote in the history of computing.
One of the most notable observations a reader will make of the book is that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Many topics are just as relevant today as they were in 1991. For instance, his discussions on standards still offer insight. Part one starts us off on the basic problems of user interface design, and the chasm between regular users and programmers. Cooper offers a similar analysis, though the tone here is a lot more constructive.
The title of part 2, "The Dark Night of the Soul: The State of the Art in UI design" is a misnomer -- its real focus is the various people involved in UI design, including the HCI folks, programmers, and "the men in suits." Those familiar with the players can skip it. Much of this ground is covered in other books. If you always wondered why you can't get the cool toys from the MIT Media Lab articles, this explains why. The analysis of programmers is similar to Cooper, but with much less inflammatory tone. You can get the analysis of the management role anywhere - though his comments on them in the next section are excellent.
Part three is the meat. Borenstein gives us the benefit of his experience, with his "10 Commandments of user interface design." These are most excellent, and worth the price of admission. There's a few that feel like he might have been grasping a bit to reach the requisite 10, but that's a minor quibble. Most of the advice here is still valid, and you can easily think of modern software that could have benefited from this commentary.
Part 4 is everything else. Mostly, it contains introductory primers on development techniques, usability study, and project planning. Oddly, there's a strong chapter on the fundamental flaws in computer science education (circa 1991) that will ring true for many educated in that period.
I would love to see an updated version of this book. Much of Borenstein's advice still holds true, and a second edition could bring this wisdom to the development community. In the meantime, use the advice of part 3, and program as if people matter.
Hasn't stood the test of time.......2001-01-18
Published over 10 years ago, this work still has a few interesting tales to tell. Most of the stories and analysis are centered around the Andrew Project, a collaborative effort of IBM and CMU to build a new software and hardware environment for University computing. The project provided an opportunity to perform Human/Computer Interface studies which are discussed throughout.
The book is an interesting look back at history. It has the text from the GNU General Public License from February 1989 and a chapter entitled "Information Wants to be Free." It also show how very lost the computer industry was at that time with regard to computer usability.
There are some war stories here about the cryptic and often dangerous UNIX command line. There are also some rants against the computers of the time (PC MSDOS, Macintosh, etc.) made by folks who made something they thought was better but "weren't getting any respect."
After rereading it recently those few interesting stories were still there but the book's disorganized structure, lack of index, and pedantic style haven't aged well. Those interested in HCI are better advised to read anything by Donald Norman, or any of the other excellent books written recently on HCI or cognative psychology.
It's virtue is its brevity!.......2000-06-25
Writing a review of this book is not hard; much easier than actually reading the book. On the one hand, there's a pony in here. On the other, you have to dig through a fairly deep pile to find it. My suggestion, if you buy this book, is to go to chapter 17 (p129 of 178) and skim the remainder; while there aren't really any well-stated principles to apply, there's some insight that may prove valuable. Overall, there's enough good stuff to make a decent sized article in InfoWeek; but not a complete book. Digging through the remainder is compounded by the arrogant and condescending style of the author. Most of his experiences are derived from the Andrew project at CMU. One last prejudice of my own: Borenstein's habitual Mac-bashing reveals his own failure to grasp the importance of the events of 1984. As David Nagel once described it, the Mac proved that an easy and powerful user interface is a legitimate use of computing resources. Before that, PARC not withstanding, the cult of programming dictated that knowledge of the sacred vocabulary was a pre-req for using computers. Seems to me that this is a worthy contribution to user centered design; tell me again what we got from Andrew and how many users benefit from them.
It's virtue is its brevity!.......2000-06-25
Writing a review of this book is not hard; much easier thanactually reading the book. On the one hand, there's a pony in here.On the other, you have to dig through a fairly deep pile to find it. My suggestion, if you buy this book, is to go to chapter 17 (p129 of 178) and skim the remainder; while there aren't really any well-stated principles to apply, there's some insight that may prove valuable. Overall, there's enough good stuff to make a decent sized article in InfoWeek; but not a complete book. Digging through the remainder is compounded by the arrogant and condescending style of the author. Most of his experiences are derived from the Andrew project at CMU.
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