Customer Reviews

Inclusive Economics

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Economics today is dominated by pragmatism. And what is considered pragamatic can change all the time. George Bush may have been elected on a platform of smaller government, but that has not stopped him from launching a major expenditure thrust that has converted a stable surplus budget into a major deficit one. If this change is good for America and the world, fine. But how can we be sure that he is not just doing what is expedient?

It is in such situations that a revival of Gandhian method could be useful. Pani manages to bring out a method from Gandhi's writings that can help ensure that pragmatism does not degenerate into expediency. He builds a consistent inclusive method and places it in the context of recent debates on economic methodology. As such an exercise has not been tried out before, some of its elements will surprise Gandhians. And some of the implicit recomendations, like the need to focus on the individual rather than national economies, will surprise mainstream economists. But at a time when ideology has failed, a scientific return to Gandhi does appear promising.

This is a really original book. I have never seen Gandhi interpreted in this way. It has helped me understand why Gandhi was ignored when ideology ruled the world. And now that ideology has fallen apart, Gandhian method does look a viable alternative. This book outlines the method in a rigorous and yet accessible fashion.