Growth: A Reckoning

A revelatory account of the past, present, and future of economic growth - and how we should rethink it

Over the past two centuries, economic growth has freed billions from poverty and made our lives far healthier and longer. As a result, the unfettered pursuit of growth defines economic life around the world. Yet this prosperity has come at an enormous price: deepening inequalities, destabilizing technologies, environmental destruction and climate change.

Resolving this growth dilemma, best-selling economist Daniel Susskind argues, is the urgent task of our age. For many, in our era of sluggish productivity, the worry is slowing growth―in the UK, Europe, China and elsewhere―and reversing this stagnation is the goal of every politician. Others understandably claim, given its social and environmental costs, that the only way forward is through 'degrowth', deliberating shrinking our economies.

At this time of uncertainty about growth and its value, Susskind has written an essential reckoning. In a sweeping analysis full of historical insight, he explores what really drives growth, offering original ideas for combatting our economic slowdown. He argues that we cannot abandon growth but shows instead how we can redirect it, making it better reflect what we truly value.

Lucid, thought-provoking and brilliantly researched, Growth: A Reckoning is a vital guide to one of our greatest challenges.

Review

Daniel Susskind is a compelling, insightful thinker on the largest and most fundamental economic topics. At a time when traditional notions of growth are increasingly being questioned, this book is profoundly important. Agree or disagree, anyone who wants to engage with the broad direction of economic policy needs to reckon with Susskind's views -- Larry Summers

What type of economic growth we should pursue, how much of it, and for whose benefit will be crucial questions in the years to come, especially if current trends―more and more inequality, and an increasing concentration of power among the select few companies shaping the future of technology―continue. This well-written, thought-provoking book is essential reading for anybody interested in these epochal debates. -- Daron Acemoglu, author of WHY NATIONS FAIL

For two centuries, economic growth has meant longer lives, better health, and material comfort. But has growth now come to an end? What can be done to restart the engine? Or should we halt growth deliberately, given its environmental costs? This panoramic book addresses the most fundamental economic questions from a deeply ethical perspective -- Diane Coyle, Bennet Professor of Public Policy at Cambridge University and author of GDP: A BRIEF BUT AFFECTIONATE HISTORY

Growth – the lack of it, the search for it, the barriers to it – is the challenge at the core of most political debates and with which all politicians struggle. Susskind's study is a tour de force. -- Gordon Brown

Daniel Susskind writes with verve, style and conviction about one of the most important issues of our age -- Rory Stewart

This is a wonderfully elegant and authoritative explanation-cum-manifesto for what is perhaps the most important economic issue facing us today - the mystery of economic growth and what we need to do to solve it -- Andy Haldane

This is a remarkable survey of a complex subject that is both erudite and immensely readable. Susskind’s thoughtful discussion of the issue is historical and practical, offering insights into how innovation and growth can be boosted, and it is a timely contribution to a vitally important debate -- PD Smith ― Guardian

Helpful for working out how to think about growth... His policy prescriptions centre on how to generate new ideas. -- Soumaya Keynes ― Financial Times

An ambitious attempt to resolve the growth dilemma. -- Edward Chancellor ― TLS

Clear and sensible… Growth succeeds smartly as a history of thought ― Wall Street Journal

About the Author

Daniel Susskind is a Research Professor in Economics at King's College London and a Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Ethics in AI at Oxford University. He is the author of A World without Work and co-author of the bestselling The Future of the Professions. Previously, he worked in various roles in the British Government - in the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, in the Policy Unit in 10 Downing Street, and in the Cabinet Office.