This is the first of three volumes containing a report from the International Panel on Social Progress (IPSP). The IPSP is an independent association of top research scholars with the goal of assessing methods for improving the main institutions of modern societies. Written in accessible language by scholars across the social sciences and humanities, these volumes assess the achievements of world societies in past centuries, the current trends, the dangers that we are now facing, and the possible futures in the twenty-first century. It covers the main socio-economic, political, and cultural dimensions of social progress, global as well as regional issues, and the diversity of challenges and their interplay around the world. This particular volume covers topics such as economic inequality and growth, finance and corporations, labor, capitalism, and social justice.
Provides a comprehensive synthesis of social science on how to pursue social progress, useful for students, researchers, think tanks, administration experts, politicians, or NGOs who seek ideas and arguments
Avoids disciplinary limitations and goes beyond the usual Western perspective to offer many insights about the rest of the world and give perspectives from varying schools of thought
Offers a balanced assessment of the positive and negative aspects of current trends, with many ideas for improving institutions and policies
Introduction to Volume 1
1. Social trends and new geographies
2. Social progress: a compass
3. Economic inequality and social progress
4. Economic growth, human development and welfare
5. Cities and social progress
6. Markets, finance, and corporations: does capitalism have a future?
7. The future of work - good jobs for all
8. Social justice, well-being, and economic organization
Authors
Index.