The Veil of Circumstance: Technology, Values, Dehumanization and the Future of Economics and Politics

“Many ills afflict the global political economy today. Conventional economic tools are losing their power to ensure steady economic growth. Competing nationalisms are creating a more dangerous world that threatens the current international economic and political order. This book gets to the heart of the issues that have brought the world to its current state. Mr Moeller is to be congratulated for producing an historically grounded analysis which suggests a different way forward for our unequal, resource-depleting world economy.”

Pang Eng Fong, Professor (Practice)
Lee Kong Chian School of Business
Singapore Management University

“This book, immensely rich in data and keen observations, delves into the central challenges of our economic and political system ― the erosion of trust, the declining coherence and the shrinking common space. The author’s attempt to sketch out what can be done to help us address these challenges brought about by globalization, digitalization and our disconnect with nature is well worth pondering.”

Yeo Lay Hwee, Director
European Union Centre in Singapore

“Our world is changing deeply at the moment, economically, technologically, and socially. Joergen Oerstroem Moeller is an astute observer of the forces and mechanisms causing these changes. Well worth reading and pondering.”

W. Brian Arthur
formerly Morrison Professor
of Population Studies and Economics
Stanford University

“In his brilliantly illuminating book the author referenced the fundamental historical facts to trace the sources and triggers of a paradigmatic ongoing change in society, economy and world order. He did this with an immense knowledge, circumspection and interdependent understanding of the relevant forces and undertook a well-structured and documented research and analysis. We get valuable and important impetus as food for thought to a coming complex and gigantic change.”

Dr Alfred Scheidegger, Founder and CEO of Nextech Invest Ltd.
formerly member of the board of directors of
the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich

It is more than fifteen years since Joseph Stiglitz wrote Globalization and its Discontents, with the message that there is evidence of much unhappiness with the way global reforms have been taking place and how they have impacted developing and poor countries. Stiglitz concluded that the main issue is not with globalization, but rather that the process of management was very much lacking. And now Stiglitz in his latest book, Rewriting the Rules of the American Economy, has argued that the message he had about globalization is now affecting the advanced economies.

Professor Jørgen Ørstrøm Møller is never one to evade the complexities and subtleties of current affairs. He pursues the issues of the day with an intellectual curiosity, clarity of thought, and completeness that is enriched by his vast experience in the Danish diplomatic service, policymaking and academia. In this book he uses an interdisciplinary approach to discuss the intrinsic issues, including globalization, that are shaping the world.

…

While Stiglitz’s point is about managing the needed change in globalization, Møller’s argument is to reinforce a better global governance, and a challenge for world leaders and policymakers to create a new world where not only science and technology matter but also to achieve some semblance of sanity where deep consciousness can take root, where inspiration, thought and creativity, strong bonds and cohesion in and across societies deepen, making cultural identities count, and above all where materialism fades.

Professor Euston Quah
President, Economic Society of Singapore
Head of Economics, Nanyang Technological University
Singapore

An excellent and important book, wide-ranging (and comprehensive), drawing together many strands which we have already observed ourselves into a single coherent analysis with many original insights.

Stuart Larkin, Consulting Economist

Jørgen Ørstrøm Møller is visiting senior fellow at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore.