By Rutger Bregman
Radical economic proposals for the future
Subject
Themes
Throughout history, humanity endured poverty, disease, and hardship as the norm. For 99 per cent of human existence, almost everyone lived in extreme poverty, with life described as nasty, brutish, and short. Yet in just the past two centuries, a radical transformation occurred. By the 21st century, extreme poverty plummeted from 94 per cent in 1820 to under 10 per cent, whilst life expectancy more than doubled and diseases like smallpox and polio were virtually eradicated.
Throughout history, humanity endured poverty, disease, and hardship as the norm. For 99 per cent of human existence, almost everyone lived in extreme poverty, with life described as nasty, brutish, and short. Yet in just the past two centuries, a radical transformation occurred. By the 21st century,…
Rutger Bregman's Utopia for Realists emerged during a period of profound political and economic upheaval, published in 2016 amidst rising populism, Brexit, and Donald Trump's election. The book represented a bold intervention in debates about inequality, technological unemployment, and the future of…
Universal basic income proposes giving every citizen regular, unconditional cash payments without means testing or work requirements. This seemingly radical idea addresses poverty at its root by providing economic security that enables genuine freedom. Traditional welfare systems create poverty…
In 1930, economist John Maynard Keynes predicted that by the 21st century, technological progress would enable his grandchildren to work just 15 hours weekly whilst maintaining comfortable living standards. This forecast recognised that productivity gains from automation and innovation should…
Birthplace determines approximately 60 per cent of an individual's lifetime income, making geography the greatest predictor of economic opportunity. A person born in the United States or Western Europe enjoys vastly superior prospects compared to someone with identical talents born in sub-Saharan…
Gross Domestic Product has become the dominant metric for measuring societal success, yet this indicator was never designed to assess wellbeing or progress. Created during wartime to track military production capacity, GDP counts all market transactions equally regardless of whether they enhance or…
Political change rarely emerges from gradual consensus building or technocratic expertise alone. Instead, transformative shifts occur when ideas once dismissed as utopian or radical suddenly become common sense, shifting the Overton window of acceptable political discourse. What separates impossible…
For 99 per cent of human history, life was characterised by poverty, disease, and hardship. As recently as the 17th century, philosophers like Pascal and Hobbes described existence as wretched, nasty, brutish, and short. Yet in merely two centuries, extraordinary transformation occurred. Extreme…
In 1930, whilst the Great Depression ravaged economies worldwide, economist John Maynard Keynes delivered a curious lecture in Madrid predicting that by 2030, technological progress would enable his grandchildren to work merely 15 hours weekly whilst maintaining comfortable living standards. This…
In May 2009, London charity Broadway launched a radical experiment with 13 homeless men who had lived on streets for decades, costing taxpayers an estimated £400,000 annually through police expenses, court costs, and social services. Rather than continuing traditional assistance programmes involving…
Technological displacement of jobs represents a recurring pattern throughout industrial history. At the start of the 20th century, machines rapidly rendered occupations obsolete: whilst England counted over one million of certain jobs in 1901, motorised vehicles eliminated them within decades as…
Global poverty has declined dramatically in recent decades, with extreme poverty falling from 44 per cent in 1981 to under 10 per cent currently, representing one of humanity's greatest achievements. This progress occurred primarily through economic growth in developing nations, particularly China…
In the revolutionary year of 1968, five famous economists including John Kenneth Galbraith, James Tobin, and Paul Samuelson wrote an open letter to Congress published on the front page of The New York Times. They declared that the country would not have met its responsibility until everyone was…
The financial sector exemplifies profound disconnects between compensation and social value creation. Bankers, traders, and financiers earn millions manipulating money whilst teachers, nurses, and care workers who generate genuine social benefits earn modest wages. This inversion reflects…
Gross Domestic Product dominates contemporary policy discourse as the primary metric for measuring national success and progress. Yet GDP was never designed to assess societal wellbeing or quality of life. Created during World War II to track military production capacity, GDP counts all market…
Whilst wealthy nations debate shorter workweeks and universal basic income, billions worldwide struggle with extreme poverty, lacking access to basic necessities like clean water, sanitation, healthcare, and education. This stark global inequality represents the defining moral challenge of our era,…
Political transformation rarely emerges from gradual consensus building or technocratic expertise alone. Instead, transformative shifts occur when ideas once dismissed as utopian or radical suddenly become common sense, shifting the Overton window of acceptable political discourse. What separates…
By Rutger Bregman
Subject
Themes
Throughout history, humanity endured poverty, disease, and hardship as the norm. For 99 per cent of human existence, almost everyone lived in extreme poverty, with life described as nasty, brutish, and short. Yet in just the past two centuries, a radical transformation occurred. By the 21st century, extreme poverty plummeted from 94 per cent in 1820 to under 10 per cent, whilst life expectancy more than doubled and diseases like smallpox and polio were virtually eradicated.