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“A profound diagnosis and wake-up call.”
—Ralph Gerstenberg, Deutschlandfunk Kultur Book Review
Political economist Maja Göpel delivers the tools we need to build the world we want to live in
Humanity is undergoing a massive process of transformation, and the way we live is about to change in a fundamental way.
In recent times, we’ve lived so hard on the earth, that the environment, the economy, politics, society, and technology are crumbling. There have always been great transformations in history, triggered by humans. Structural change is not an imposition, but an opportunity. It is time that we — each of us individually, but also society as a whole — allowed ourselves to think anew, to dream, and to ask two related, radical questions: Who do we want to be, and how do we want to live?
In We Can Do Better, Maja Göpel explains how we can understand such complex developments and use this knowledge to achieve a better world.
“A profound diagnosis and wake-up call.”
—Ralph Gerstenberg, Deutschlandfunk Kultur Book Review
“Göpel's message is encouraging.”
—Politics & Communication
“As in her last book, Göpel, in collaboration with the journalist Marcus Jauer, succeeds in the feat “To explain complex things in a way that's easy to grasp and entertaining”.”
—Taz Futurzwei
“Great impulses, cleverly thought.”
—NDR That!
“Göpel's writing style is clear and engaging, making complex topics understandable to a wide audience … a timely and essential read for anyone concerned about the state of the world and committed to creating a more sustainable, equitable, and prosperous future.”
—Sungsoo An
Praise for Rethinking Our World:
“[A]ccording to German political economist Maja Göpel, the days of “business as usual” are over. There is a new reality caught in the phrase “overshoot day”—when the demand for ecological resources and services exceeds what the earth can give. We’re already there and, among other things, progress and capitalism as we’ve known them need to be reconfigured to create a fairer, less exploitative society. This sounds like a dire read, but it’s strangely upbeat and, using often telling examples, Göpel calmly makes her dramatic point.”
—Steven Carroll, The Sydney Morning Herald
“Göpel rigorously analyzes traditional theories of economic growth, privatization, consumption, and the infallibility of ‘the market’ … she is skilfully bringing together ideas from psychology, economics, philosophy, science, and history to create a highly readable interdisciplinary summary of the crisis at hand … Göpel reminds us that awareness is one of the first steps, and the knowledge and belief that business as usual is not an option can be a powerful place to start.”
—Kara Nicholson, Readings
“Göpel explains things well. She is lucid, succinct, and avoids strident polemic. And she enforces her argument with compelling narratives.”
—Jane Goodall, The Conversation
“Maja Göpel’s book is a successful attempt to pack human history from the evolution of Homo sapiens to Greta Thunberg, economic theory from Adam Smith to Thomas Piketty, environmental research and system criticism into a concise space in an entertaining read—and she does it well.’
—Jessica von Blazekovic, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung