Wim Naudé

It has been said that, in the light of ecological overshoot, that human civilization faces two future possibilities: a Great Decoupling or a Great Collapse. In this book, two distinct positions to achieve the Great Decoupling are critically evaluated: Green Growth and Degrowth. It is concluded that neither Green Growth nor Degrowth will be able to achieve the Great Decoupling. The possibility for society to collapse is then raised, with the potential for a civilizational rebound pondered. Whether collapse may be a feature, and not a bug, of the long-run evolution of complex civilization is discussed. This book offers a thought provoking and unique perspective on the economic and ecological challenges faced by modern societies. It will be relevant to students, researchers, and policymakers interested in environmental economics and economic policy.

It has been said that, in the light of ecological overshoot, that human civilization faces two future possibilities: a Great Decoupling or a Great Collapse. In this book, two distinct positions to achieve the Great Decoupling are critically evaluated: Green Growth and Degrowth. It is concluded that neither Green Growth nor Degrowth will be able to achieve the Great Decoupling. The possibility for society to collapse is then raised, with the potential for a civilizational rebound pondered. Whether collapse may be a feature, and not a bug, of the long-run evolution of complex civilization is discussed. This book offers a thought provoking and unique perspective on the economic and ecological challenges faced by modern societies. It will be relevant to students, researchers, and policymakers interested in environmental economics and economic policy.

In all of the major challenges facing the world currently, whether it be climate change, terrorism and conflict, or urbanization and demographic change, no progress is possible without the alleviation of poverty. New approaches in development economics have in recent years started from the premise that we cannot successfully deal with poverty unless we also deal with vulnerability—but not only vulnerability to income poverty but also vulnerability to various others hazards—such as climate, conflict, macroeconomic shocks and natural disasters. This book provide insights into new approaches in conceptualising and measuring vulnerability. It includes chapters dealing with advanced issues such as the compilation of economic vulnerability indices (EVIs) on a macro-level, of conceptualizing and measuring local vulnerability across regions in a country, and of measuring the flip-side of vulnerability, namely resilience. The book also explores the sensitivities of the various measurements of vulnerability to vulnerability lines, poverty lines, and permanent income, with consideration to some of the most vulnerable groups in developing countries. Overall, the contributions in the book consolidate new approaches as far as the concept and measurement of vulnerability on different levels and outcomes are concerned, and note directions for future research. This book was published as a special issue of Oxford Development Studies.

In all of the major challenges facing the world currently, whether it be climate change, terrorism and conflict, or urbanization and demographic change, no progress is possible without the alleviation of poverty. New approaches in development economics have in recent years started from the premise that we cannot successfully deal with poverty unless we also deal with vulnerability—but not only vulnerability to income poverty but also vulnerability to various others hazards—such as climate, conflict, macroeconomic shocks and natural disasters. This book provide insights into new approaches in conceptualising and measuring vulnerability. It includes chapters dealing with advanced issues such as the compilation of economic vulnerability indices (EVIs) on a macro-level, of conceptualizing and measuring local vulnerability across regions in a country, and of measuring the flip-side of vulnerability, namely resilience. The book also explores the sensitivities of the various measurements of vulnerability to vulnerability lines, poverty lines, and permanent income, with consideration to some of the most vulnerable groups in developing countries. Overall, the contributions in the book consolidate new approaches as far as the concept and measurement of vulnerability on different levels and outcomes are concerned, and note directions for future research. This book was published as a special issue of Oxford Development Studies.

This book argues that the West is in economic decline due to three interrelated factors, described as the Guns-Oil-Oligarchy nexus. It explains how the rise of the West as the world's current hegemon has resulted in an ecological overshoot, the rise of neoliberalism and its slash-and-burn model of continuous growth, extraction, expansion and conquest. With this model pushing against planetary boundaries, threatening ecological disaster, and depleting many resources the Guns-Oil-Oligarchy nexus has deepened its stranglehold on society. This book then dissects the Guns-Oil-Oligarchy nexus. First it describes who the Oligarchs are and how they expand and consolidate their power and influence, and stifle innovation, undermine democracy, hinder responses to climate change, and contribute to militarization and conflict. Secondly, the book explains how Oil has been essential for the economic rise of the West and how it will feature in its decline. Third, the book identifies the rise and influence of the West's Military-Industrial Complex (MIC) as contributing to the West's economic decline. It is shown that the MIC constitutes an oligarchy and, like all oligarchies, uses lobbying, campaign contributions, and control of the mainstream media to expand and consolidate power. Silicon Valley's integration into the MIC is also examined, driven by the search for new profit opportunities as traditional markets become saturated. This book shows why the Guns–Oil–Oligarchy nexus is a simple explanation for the West's economic decline, and how its understanding offers a simple solution to avert further economic decline: the oligarchs' grip must be broken.

The End of the Empire that Entrepreneurship Built argues that concerns about the collapse of the West need to be taken seriously and that there are at least seven sources of rot that affect how entrepreneurship, the builder of the West, continues to play a role in shaping society. To identify and analyze the sources of this rot, this monograph takes a somewhat different approach than has been taken so far in the literature by drawing parallels between the rot affecting the West and the rot that caused the collapse of the Soviet Union. In drawing the parallels with the Soviet Union, this work follows Chan's (2015) categorization of the five sources of rot that ended the Soviet Union and adds two further sources that are prominent in the West. These include increasing militarization; the ideological undermining of science; the disincentivizing of innovation; "technological conservatism"; a centralizing hierarchy that obstructed the horizontal flow of information; the end of the hydrocarbon age - the energy transition out of cheap fossil fuels; and the financialization of the economy - the bankers' takeover. These seven sources of rot are argued to be the main harbingers of the collapse of the West. Understanding these better may help inform the debate that is needed on succession planning so as to minimize the damages that can be caused by collapse, and moreover to manage post-collapse recovery. The monograph is structured as follows. Section 2 explains why entrepreneurship has been the builder of the West's empire that arose roughly around the 1800s. Section 3 asks, does the fate of the Soviet Union await the West? This section also discusses the seven sources of rot. Section 4 draws together the conclusions from the discussion of these sources of rot to explain how they represent scenario spoilers for the optimistic scenarios of an entrepreneurial economy. Section 5 provides the conclusion.

Is Artificial Intelligence a more significant invention than electricity? Will it result in explosive economic growth and unimaginable wealth for all, or will it cause the extinction of all humans? Artificial Intelligence: Economic Perspectives and Models provides a sober analysis of these questions from an economics perspective. It argues that to better understand the impact of AI on economic outcomes, we must fundamentally change the way we think about AI in relation to models of economic growth. It describes the progress that has been made so far and offers two ways in which current modelling can be improved: firstly, to incorporate the nature of AI as providing abilities that complement and/or substitute for labour, and secondly, to consider demand-side constraints. Outlining the decision-theory basis of both AI and economics, this book shows how this, and the incorporation of AI into economic models, can provide useful tools for safe, human-centered AI.

Is Artificial Intelligence a more significant invention than electricity? Will it result in explosive economic growth and unimaginable wealth for all, or will it cause the extinction of all humans? Artificial Intelligence: Economic Perspectives and Models provides a sober analysis of these questions from an economics perspective. It argues that to better understand the impact of AI on economic outcomes, we must fundamentally change the way we think about AI in relation to models of economic growth. It describes the progress that has been made so far and offers two ways in which current modelling can be improved: firstly, to incorporate the nature of AI as providing abilities that complement and/or substitute for labour, and secondly, to consider demand-side constraints. Outlining the decision-theory basis of both AI and economics, this book shows how this, and the incorporation of AI into economic models, can provide useful tools for safe, human-centered AI.

Leading international scholars provide a timely reconsideration of how and why entrepreneurship matters for economic development, particularly in emerging and developing economies. The book critically dissects the evolving relationship between entrepreneurs and the state.

Leading international scholars provide a timely reconsideration of how and why entrepreneurship matters for economic development, particularly in emerging and developing economies. The book critically dissects the evolving relationship between entrepreneurs and the state.