During an election speech in 1957 the Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, famously remarked that 'most of our people have never had it so good'. Although taken out of context, this phrase soon came to epitomize the sense of increased affluence and social progress that was prevalent in Britain during the 1950s and 1960s. Yet, despite the recognition that Britain had moved away from an era of rationing and scarcity, to a new age of choice and plenty, there was simultaneously a parallel feeling that the nation was in decline and being economically outstripped by its international competitors. Whilst the study of Britain's postwar history is a well-trodden path, and the paradox of absolute growth versus relative decline much debated, it is here approached in a fresh and rewarding way. Rather than highlighting economic and industrial 'decline', this volume emphasizes the tremendous impact of rising affluence and consumerism on British society. It explores various expressions of affluence: new consumer goods; shifting social and cultural values; changes in popular expectations of policy; shifting popular political behaviour; changing attitudes of politicians towards the electorate; and the representation of affluence in popular culture and advertising. By focusing on the widespread cultural consequences of increasing levels of consumerism, emphasizing growth over decline and recognizing the rising standards of living enjoyed by most Britons, a new and intriguing window is opened on the complexities of this 'golden age'. Contrasting growing consumer expectations and demands against the anxieties of politicians and economists, this book offers all students of the period a new perspective from which to view post-imperial Britain and to question many conventional historical assumptions.

Facts and figures indicate a continuously increasing societal welfare. But what about its impacts on the environment? The growing wealth has been accompanied by environmental degradation, deforestation, losses in bio-diversity, global warming, air pollution, depletion of the ozone layer, and overfishing. Recent measurements have been performed related to the depletion of natural resources showing that humans currently use the resources of 1.25 Earths. At the current consumption levels of high-income countries, the world could only sustainably support 1.75 billion people, not the 6.5 billion living on Earth today. Fortunately ecological awareness is consensus today and reaches far more social levels than just greenies and do-gooders - see the LOHAS trend in this book as an example. Governments have recognized that environmental protection is a worldwide concern that can be solved solely through co-operation. Especially renewable energy has reached the top of the agendas of the United Nations, the G8, and other multilateral fora. At the last conference of the UN climate council the participants noticed that the technologies, required to limit the greenhouse gas emission, are available and affordable. Thus the framework for a change is established and available. It’s up to mankind to carry out the transformation. This book gives an insight into the current social transformation that is underway. Research indicates that societies are undergoing a decisive and formative value transformation, away from a pure materialistic and monetary mindset towards a lifestyle of health and sustainability and a better quality of life. Surveys also revealed that although people, especially in the developed countries, continuously got richer over the last 50 years they did not become happier. This finding was responsible that the science of happiness research experienced a tremendous increasing attention over the last 10 years and that even on governmental level the opinion became accepted that we have to go beyond GDP. Impacts of this value transformation are already visible today in several industries. Starting with a brief description of the historical evolution of the industries, followed by some critical words about welfare and environmental pollution vital signs indicating that societies worldwide are going through a change are highlighted. A deeper look will be taken into the powerful LOHAS trend, corporate social responsibility, governmental and non-governmental initiatives - especially the discussion to go beyond GDP and the mighty upcoming science happiness research - and the remarkable boom of the renewable energies. Before concluding with a short summary, the impacts of that transformation on several industries are identified and described.

The classic by the renowned economist: “One of those rare works that forces a nation to re-examine its values” (The New York Times). One of the New York Public Library’s “Books of the Century” Hailed as a “masterpiece” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), this examination of the “economics of abundance” cuts to the heart of what economic security means (and doesn’t mean) and lays bare the hazards of individual and societal complacence about economic inequity. The book that introduced the phrase “conventional wisdom” to our vernacular, The Affluent Society is as timely today as when it was first published. “Warrants careful reading by every thoughtful person.” —The Christian Science Monitor

This book revisits John Kenneth Galbraith's classic text The Affluent Society in the context of the background to, and causes of, the global economic crisis that erupted in 2008. Each chapter takes a major theme of Galbraith's book, distils his arguments, and then discusses to what extent they cast light on current developments, both in developed economies and in the economics discipline. The themes include: inequality, insecurity, inflation, debt, consumer behaviour, financialization, the economic role of government ('social balance'), the power of ideas, the role of power in the economy, and the nature of the good society. It considers the current problems of capitalism and the huge challenges facing democratic governments in tackling them. Written in non-technical language, this book is accessible to students of economics and the social sciences as well as to those who would have read The Affluent Society and the general reader interested in contemporary affairs and public policy.

These essays argue that to have good character one needs to have at least developed a sense of empathy and self control.

Ten Years: EXPO 2010 & Me by Zhou Hanmin is a collection of speeches, interviews, papers and reports, that reflects Prof. Zhou's important contribution to Expo 2010 Shanghai. In this book, Prof. Zhou shares his experiences, lessons, and thoughts over the past decade on the following questions:1) Why host the Expo and how to bid?2) How to prepare Expo 2010 scientifically?3) How to gather the whole world together?4) How to fully utilize Expo 2010 to boost the development of Shanghai?5) How to work towards the goal of ';Better City, Better Life'; in the future?This book presents an outstanding contributor who viewed his commitment to the World Expo as a means to serve his country as well as an opportunity to learn new organizational and leadership practices and to incorporate new ideas and methods in his own work to make it more effective. But it's more than that. The book bears witness an arduous journey of China to the World Expo that spans ten years, and another great intellectual legacy left by Chinese people to the world.Published by SCPG Publishing Corporation and distributed by World Scientific for all markets except China

'[During the 1960s] a society of different lifestyles spawned a group of young people who were brought up without parental discipline, without proper role models and without any sense of responsibility to or for others' - Tony Blair, July 2004In this fascinating and timely book, Mark Jarvis explores the validity of such notions, together with related views held by those who blame British moral decline on legislation enacted by Harold Wilson's governments. This book strongly challenges this perspective, arguing that it was actually Harold Macmillan's Conservative administrations which introduced social legislation that would be termed 'permissive'. The dilemma faced by the Tories was clear: Macmillan encouraged affluence and presided over a Britain that had more money to spend on pursuing pleasure, but how could government manage this demand while still conserving traditional social bonds? Jarvis discusses some of the most controversial social issues faced by the conservative administration at the time, from crime, gambling, drinking, homosexuality, prostitution, pornography, to Sunday observance and the challenges imposed by the new medium of television. This revolution still reverberates in Britain today, and this book will make fascinating reading for those looking at British society in the 1960s, as well as those looking for a historical perspective on related contemporary issues.

This book was first published in 1992. This book deals with an area of great importance: the issues involved in developing biotechnologically based industries in the developing countries. The science and most of the techniques are well established and it is often possible to obtain the desired finance. This book, however, examines the sort of choices that a developing country has to make as to whether to go ahead with any of the projects outlined in the book and their likely socio-economic consequences. Each chapter is written by experts in their field and discusses the current biotechnologically based industries and their state of development, their suitability for various economies and the problems associated with developing them. Chapters discuss environmental questions and further socio-economic factors that need to be considered in order to bring about successful wealth creation in these countries. This book will be invaluable reading for all those interested in biotechnology and its application to the developing world.