21st Century Capitalism - Softcover

HEILBRONER, Robert

3.66

110 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0887845347 ISBN 13: 9780887845345

Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company, 1993

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A New York Times Notable Book

What forms will capitalism take in the twenty-first century? To answer this question, noted economist and social philosopher Robert Heilbroner looks beyond economic theory to the social and political problems of modern economic society.

In this sweeping examination of the past, present, and possible future, Heilbroner considers capitalism both as an economic system and a political order. He argues persuasively that, even in an increasingly globalized economy, government remains crucial to a healthy private sector, due to the limited ability of markets to order themselves, let alone make contributions to the common good such as tackling environmental problems or providing sufficient educational programs. Heilbroner concludes this penetrating technique by speculating on whether some more participatory forms of capitalism might emerge this century.

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Review:

Economists, practitioners of the dismal science, are little known for their compassion or their profundity, but Robert Heilbroner, author of The Worldly Philosophers, displays both in this sweeping study of the state and future of capitalism. Based on lectures delivered at Massey College, Heilbroner's book argues persuasively that the public sector, far from being a drag on the marketplace, can be "an indispensable source of strength;" that the death of Communism, not just an unalloyed cause for celebration, represents in some ways the end of the ideals of egalitarianism and community; and that there is "a limit beyond which acquisitiveness no longer serves, and may well disserve, the adaptability of the order." A book everyone concerned about more than their next paycheck should read.

About the Author:

Robert Heilbroner was an economic historian and the bestselling author of many books, including The Worldly Philosophers, which launched his scholarly career and has sold nearly four million copies, The Making of Economic Society, and An Inquiry into the Human Prospect. A graduate of Harvard, he later earned a Ph.D. from the New School for Social Research, where he became Norma Thomas Professor of Economics and remained for some fifty years. Heilbroner died in January 2005.

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