Book cover for Prosperity in the Twenty-First Century

Publication date: 22 June 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14324/111.9781800084452

Number of illustrations: 33

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Prosperity in the Twenty-First Century

Q: What is "Prosperity in the Twenty-First Century" about?

Prosperity in the Twenty-First Century sets out a new vision for prosperity in the twenty-first century and how it can be achieved for all. The volume challenges orthodox understandings of economic models, but goes beyond contemporary debates to show how social innovation drives economic value. Drawing on substantive research in the UK, Lebanon and Kenya, it develops new concepts, frameworks, models and metrics for prosperity across a wide range of contexts, emphasising commonalities and differences. Its distinctive approach goes beyond defining and measuring prosperity – addressing the debate about the failures of GDP – to formulating and describing what is needed to make prosperity a realisable proposition for specific people living in specific locales. Departing from general propositions about post-growth to delineate pathways to prosperity, the volume emphasises that visions of the good life are diverse and require empirical work co-designed with local communities and stakeholders to drive change. It is essential reading for policymakers who are stuck, local government officers who need new tools, activists who wonder what is next, academics in need of refreshment, and students and people of all ages who want a way forward.

Q: Who edited "Prosperity in the Twenty-First Century"?

"Prosperity in the Twenty-First Century" was edited by Henrietta L. Moore, Matthew Davies, Nikolay Mintchev and Saffron Woodcraft. Henrietta L. Moore is the Founder and Director of the Institute for Global Prosperity and Chair in Culture Philosophy and Design at University College London. She is also director of the ESRC-funded RELIEF Centre. A leading global thinker on prosperity, Professor Moore challenges traditional economic models of growth, arguing that communities, businesses and governments need to engage with diversity and systemic injustice, and work within environmental limits. Her work crosses disciplines, from social science to the arts, business innovation and the natural sciences, and she applies these different perspectives to inform research and policy at all levels. Matthew Davies is Deputy Director of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge. Nikolay Mintchev is Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London, and a member of the PROCOL Lebanon team. His research and publications cover a range of themes, including politics, participatory research methods, discourse analysis and pathways to prosperity. Saffron Woodcraft is Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Global Prosperity at UCL.

Concepts, models and metrics

Henrietta L. Moore (Editor), Matthew Davies (Editor), Nikolay Mintchev (Editor), Saffron Woodcraft (Editor)

Series: Global Prosperity in Thought and Practice

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Prosperity in the Twenty-First Century sets out a new vision for prosperity in the twenty-first century and how it can be achieved for all.
The volume challenges orthodox understandings of economic models, but goes beyond contemporary debates to show how social innovation drives economic value. Drawing on substantive research in the UK, Lebanon and Kenya, it develops new concepts, frameworks, models and metrics for prosperity across a wide range of contexts, emphasising commonalities and differences. Its distinctive approach goes beyond defining and measuring prosperity – addressing the debate about the failures of GDP – to formulating and describing what is needed to make prosperity a realisable proposition for specific people living in specific locales.

Departing from general propositions about post-growth to delineate pathways to prosperity, the volume emphasises that visions of the good life are diverse and require empirical work co-designed with local communities and stakeholders to drive change. It is essential reading for policymakers who are stuck, local government officers who need new tools, activists who wonder what is next, academics in need of refreshment, and students and people of all ages who want a way forward.

List of figures
List of tables
Notes on contributors
List of abbreviations
Acknowledgements

Introduction: prosperity in the twenty-first century
Henrietta. L. Moore

1 What is prosperity?
Henrietta L. Moore and Nikolay Mintchev

2 The discourse of prosperity: metaphors, transformations and pathways
Nikolay Mintchev and Henrietta L. Moore

3 Local meanings and ‘sticky’ measures of the good life: redefining prosperity with and for communities in east London
Henrietta L. Moore and Saffron Woodcraft

4 Rethinking livelihood security: why addressing the democratic deficit in economic policy making opens up new pathways to prosperity
Saffron Woodcraft, Hannah Collins and Iona McArdle

5 Building co-designed infrastructures in Lebanon’s spaces of displacement
Hanna Baumann, Joana Dabaj, Nikolay Mintchev, Henrietta L. Moore and Andrea Rigon

6 Decentralised renewable energy: A pathway to prosperity for Lebanon?
Henrietta L. Moore, Hannah Collins and Diala Makki

7 Prosperity in crisis in the longue durée in Africa
Henrietta L. Moore

8 Emergent prosperity, time and design: Farming in Marakwet, Kenya
Matthew Davies, Samuel Lunn- Rockliffe, Timothy Kipkeu Kiprutto and Wilson Kipkore

Epilogue
Henrietta L. Moore

Index

DOI: 10.14324/111.9781800084452

Number of illustrations: 33

Publication date: 22 June 2023

PDF ISBN: 9781800084452

EPUB ISBN: 9781800084483

Hardback ISBN: 9781800084476

Paperback ISBN: 9781800084469

Henrietta L. Moore (Editor)

Henrietta L. Moore is the Founder and Director of the Institute for Global Prosperity and Chair in Culture Philosophy and Design at University College London. She is also director of the ESRC-funded RELIEF Centre. A leading global thinker on prosperity, Professor Moore challenges traditional economic models of growth, arguing that communities, businesses and governments need to engage with diversity and systemic injustice, and work within environmental limits. Her work crosses disciplines, from social science to the arts, business innovation and the natural sciences, and she applies these different perspectives to inform research and policy at all levels.

Matthew Davies (Editor)

Matthew Davies is Deputy Director of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge.

Nikolay Mintchev (Editor)

Nikolay Mintchev is Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London, and a member of the PROCOL Lebanon team. His research and publications cover a range of themes, including politics, participatory research methods, discourse analysis and pathways to prosperity.

Saffron Woodcraft (Editor)

Saffron Woodcraft is Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Global Prosperity at UCL.

‘Eight papers explore what prosperity means and entails for local communities on the ground, how they conceive of it, and how they can be involved in its design, delivery, mobilization, and implementation, focusing on rural and urban examples from the Middle East, Europe, and Africa.’
Journal of Economic Literature

‘A timely collection of thoughtful essays, addressing one of the most vital questions of our time. From London to the Lebanon and beyond, Moore and her team ask what prosperity can possibly mean – not in the abstract, but as lived experience – within the finite limits of planet Earth.’
Tim Jackson, author of Prosperity without Growth

‘This is an important and powerful account of how public policy formulation should be reconceived to promote shared prosperity beyond conventional economic performance. It demonstrates that this approach can be applied in an array of localities facing very different challenges from London to Kenya and Lebanon. It is of profound significance for policymakers and practitioners around the world.’
Colin Mayer, University of Oxford

‘This is a book for our time. It comes at a moment of protracted global recession and environmental crisis, and a broadening recognition that conventional economic instruments are failing to protect people and our planet. It offers authoritative analysis, transformative pathways and reason to hope. Above all, it shows how prosperity, differently understood, resides in the people who live it.’
Jo Beall, London School of Economics and Political Science

Frequently Asked Questions

What is "Prosperity in the Twenty-First Century" about?

Prosperity in the Twenty-First Century sets out a new vision for prosperity in the twenty-first century and how it can be achieved for all.
The volume challenges orthodox understandings of economic models, but goes beyond contemporary debates to show how social innovation drives economic value. Drawing on substantive research in the UK, Lebanon and Kenya, it develops new concepts, frameworks, models and metrics for prosperity across a wide range of contexts, emphasising commonalities and differences. Its distinctive approach goes beyond defining and measuring prosperity – addressing the debate about the failures of GDP – to formulating and describing what is needed to make prosperity a realisable proposition for specific people living in specific locales.

Departing from general propositions about post-growth to delineate pathways to prosperity, the volume emphasises that visions of the good life are diverse and require empirical work co-designed with local communities and stakeholders to drive change. It is essential reading for policymakers who are stuck, local government officers who need new tools, activists who wonder what is next, academics in need of refreshment, and students and people of all ages who want a way forward.

Who edited "Prosperity in the Twenty-First Century"?

"Prosperity in the Twenty-First Century" was edited by Henrietta L. Moore, Matthew Davies, Nikolay Mintchev and Saffron Woodcraft.

Henrietta L. Moore is the Founder and Director of the Institute for Global Prosperity and Chair in Culture Philosophy and Design at University College London. She is also director of the ESRC-funded RELIEF Centre. A leading global thinker on prosperity, Professor Moore challenges traditional economic models of growth, arguing that communities, businesses and governments need to engage with diversity and systemic injustice, and work within environmental limits. Her work crosses disciplines, from social science to the arts, business innovation and the natural sciences, and she applies these different perspectives to inform research and policy at all levels.

Matthew Davies is Deputy Director of the McDonald Institute for Archaeological Research at the University of Cambridge.

Nikolay Mintchev is Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Global Prosperity, University College London, and a member of the PROCOL Lebanon team. His research and publications cover a range of themes, including politics, participatory research methods, discourse analysis and pathways to prosperity.

Saffron Woodcraft is Principal Research Fellow at the Institute for Global Prosperity at UCL.

Is "Prosperity in the Twenty-First Century" part of a series?

Yes, "Prosperity in the Twenty-First Century" is part of the "Global Prosperity in Thought and Practice" series.

Global Prosperity in Thought and Practice draws together research that rethinks what prosperity means for people around the globe. Contributions challenge the prevailing understanding of prosperity by developing alternative models and ways of thinking; presenting robust empirical evidence, innovative policies and emerging technologies for securing prosperity; and starting compelling public discussions about how we can flourish in the future.

Is "Prosperity in the Twenty-First Century" available Open Access?

Yes, "Prosperity in the Twenty-First Century" is published Open Access. It is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

What is the Table of Contents for "Prosperity in the Twenty-First Century"?