"For too long, we have been told that our economy must be defined by ruthless competition and greed. Guy Dauncey''s The Economics of Kindness brilliantly and persuasively dismantles this myth, showing how a world built on cooperation and justice is necessary and within our grasp. Dauncey provides a rich collection of actionable reforms across nineteen key realms, from housing to finance and climate policy. This is the missing blueprint we need to transition from a broken capitalist system to an equitable, future-fit, and flourishing human civilization on a finite planet." (Bob Willard, Chief Sustainability Champion, Sustainability Advantage) "Kind is what every good parent wants their kid to become. As this fine book makes clear, it turns out we should be thinking the same way about our economy!" (Bill McKibben, author of "Here Comes the Sun") "I have long appreciated Guy Dauncey''s vision and imagination. In this book, a good deal of his life''s exploration of creative solutions come together. An innovative thinker - both historian and futurist - Dauncey offers a fascinating survey of the contemporary cooperative economy.
The book''s first section provides an accessible romp through economic history, while the second lays out Dauncey''s model applied to all the defining sectors of our lives. Dauncey remains relentlessly hopeful, reminding us there is nothing fixed about our economy or the cultural norms that guide it." (Seth Klein, author of "A Good War: Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergency") "Mainstream economics likes to think of itself as a value-free science. Among its many sins are bizarre simplifying assumptions that bear no connection to the real world. They paint a picture of people as essentially selfish, competitive and individualistic. Guy Dauncey shows us that there is a completely different story to tell, focused on our extraordinary altruism, cooperative skills and gregarious nature. In other words, the power of kindness has been overlooked. This is an insight that can save us from disaster.
Choose kindness, build systems to reward and encourage it, and you choose life and a viable future." (Andrew Sims, Research Associate with the Centre for Global Political Economy, University of Sussex) "So much of our politics has been built around the ideal of selfish, calculating humans. What if it was built on kindness instead? In response to this simple question, Guy Dauncey serves up a rich collection of analysis and new visions of the future." (Nat Dyer, author of "Ricardo''s Dream: How Economists Forgot the Real World and Led us Astray) "Guy Dauncey presents a most compelling vision for a new economy, and a beautiful pearl of wisdom. An economic mindset oriented towards kindness rather than greed and selfishness may be the key strategic idea to save humanity from egocentric fear, in a world that has lost touch with simple truths. Read Guy''s book and be inspired." (Mark Anielski, Author of "The Economics of Happiness: Building Genuine Wealth", and "An Economy of Well-being: Common-sense Tools for Building Genuine Wealth and Happiness") "At a ''time of monsters'', when authoritarianism, greed and corruption are rampant, Guy Dauncey has produced a comprehensive, rigorous and inspiring manifesto. He maps out for readers and change-agents a more hopeful, kind and cooperative future.
His attention to all aspects of the social, market and global economies provides society with a guide to building a more convivial society, a stable and cooperative economy, and a liveable biosphere. Dauncey''s book is a thoughtful and mindful antidote to the despair being induced by our multi-polarised world." (Ann Pettifor, Director of Policy Research in Macroeconomics (PRIME). Author of "The Production of Money: How to Break the Power of Bankers") "With capitalism its economic drive-train, the modern world system seems to be headed for a fall. Incessant bad news of a spiraling, multiheaded crisis fuels a zeitgeist of fear for the future. It''s easy to make a case for despair, but what we need are thinkers who make hope plausible. That is, we need pragmatic visionaries like Guy Dauncey to show us the path to another world rooted in cooperation, ecology, and conviviality. The Economics of Kindness tickles the imagination, buoys the spirit, and spurs action.
" (Paul Raskin, Founding President of the Tellus Institute. Lead author for the U.S. National Academy of Science''s Board on Sustainability, and the Earth Charter) "What''s the alternative to today''s economy based on cruelty, isolation, and loneliness? Guy Dauncey shows an inspiring possibility in The Economics of Kindness. With a wealth of practical stories, he show how we can build an economy rooted in compassion, connection, and community wealth-building. For those of us feeling deep despair, The Economics of Kindness offers a much-needed shot of hope." (Michael H. Shuman, Publisher of the Main Street Journal, author of "The Local Economy Solution: How Innovative, Self-Financing Pollinator Enterprises Can Grow Jobs and Prosperity") "Guy Dauncey offers an insightful and elegant thesis centred on the pivotal role of kindness in shaping the way forward.
He is not alone in arguing that we must make a transition to more collaborative, cooperative, kinder systems. However, in this impressive and uplifting book he presents us with myriad ways we can make the transition happen. It is his clear explication of the problems we face and detailed signposting of a viable way forward that single his book out as as a must-read, one you will want to enthusiastically share with others." (Dr. Alison Green, Executive Director of Scientists Warning Foundation) "Guy Dauncey shows that the seemingly intractable crises we are engulfed in are not all that impossible to surmount. Hundreds of examples of transformations towards fairness, justice, and sustainability pepper his argument that a shift to the ethics of kindness, compassion, solidarity, and empathy can make miracles happen. We may not agree with all his propositions, but he makes a powerful case which is worth absorbing and being inspired by." (Ashish Kothari, Global Tapestry of Alternatives.
Co-editor of "Pluriverse: A Post-Development Dictionary") "Guy Dauncey is an embodiment of a joyful future for humanity and for the planet. In The Economics of Kindness he presents a big vision, which is holistic, realistic and also idealistic; a wonderful combination! Current economics has been developed in the name of realism, which has led us to disastrous consequences. Guy Dauncey has done us a great service by uniting idealism and realism in one book. It is a marvellous piece of writing. I wish students in every economics department around the world could read it, so that the next generation of economists might develop and practise proper economics, combined with ecology. All business leaders, politicians and economists should read it too." (Satish Kumar, Editor Emeritus of Resurgence & Ecologist. Author of "Pilgrimage for Peace: the Long Walk from India to Washington") "In a world strained by polarization, inequality, and ecological collapse, Guy Dauncey offers more than a roadmap for change.
He offers a reimagining. The Economics of Kindness is not naïve idealism; it is rigorous, radical, and necessary. With precision and compassion, Dauncey diagnoses the systemic failures of our greed-driven economy and invites us to recalibrate around care, reciprocity, creativity, and cooperation. As someone immersed in neuroscience and community economic development, I see his work as a blueprint for rewiring not just our institutions, but our collective consciousness. An actionable guide for global awakening and joy. It''s an inspirational must-read for anyone who is ready to lead with both head, heart, and spirit." (Celina Caesar-Chavannes, MBA, Executive Director of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network) "The Economics of Kindness offers a vision based on compassion, co-operation, and reconnection with community and the natural world. Guy Dauncey identifies the rise of selfishness and domination as the foundational drivers of contemporary capitalism, and offers instead an economics based on principles for a truly humane economy.
His important and hopeful work comes at a critical time. It offers actionable and tested paths to a sustainable and inclusive future, based on real world examples of transformative economics. It is a guidebook for the future." (John Restakis, author of "Humanizing the Economy: Co-operatives in the Age of Capital" and "Civilizing the State - Reclaiming Politics for the Common Good") "In an era dominated by the politics of cruelty, there has never been a greater need for this visionary offering that lays out a blueprint for an entirely different way to organize our economy. With a comprehensive view encompassing virtually every aspect of society, Dauncey shows how applying kindness as an organizing principle could lead to a just, fair, and regenerative future: an ecological civilization. After establishing sound theoretical grounds for transforming our current system, Dauncey offers an inspiring, multi-dimensional vision of a kindness-based economy based on numerous successful real-world examples. This book is a treasure for any caring person who is aghast by our current politics and looking for an alternative way forward." (Jeremy Lent, Author of "The Patterning Instinct and The Web of Meaning") "Wouldn''t it be preferable for the economy to be grounded on principles of kindness--not only towards one another but also toward the environment--rather than driven by cut-throat competition, stress, and anxiety? In this path-breaking volume, Dauncey argues convincingly that a more cooperative econo.