Juliet Schor talks about her latest book, PLENITUDE: The New Economics of True Wealth. Schor argues that the old way out of an economic downturn―a debt-financed consumer boom―is no longer a viable option.
Suggesting a radical shift in how we think about consumer goods, value, and ways to live, PLENITUDE is a primer for transitioning toward a sustainable economy as well as a richer, more balanced life. Though Schor stresses making environmentally sound choices, she has not written a polemic on sacrifice: rather she contends that through new sources of wealth, green technologies, and different lifestyles, individuals and the country as a whole can actually be better off and more economically secure.
Juliet B. Schor’s research has focused on the economics of work, spending, environment, and the consumer culture. She is the author of Born to Buy, The Overworked American, and The Overspent American. Schor is a professor of sociology at Boston College, a former member of the Harvard economics department, and a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient. She is also a cofounder of the Center for a New American Dream, an organization devoted to ecologically and socially sustainable lifestyles