Small is Beautiful: Economics As If People Mattered
By: E.F. Schumacher
Small is Beautiful is another book that has deeply impacted the way we at M&T look at the world. Originally published in 1973, Schumacher's approachable bestseller takes a human-centered look at work, at commerce, and at the use of mass production. This book was the impetus for the "Fair Trade" and "Buy Local" movements that have exploded on a grassroots level around the globe. The author examines industrialization and the systematic application of technology to tasks that formerly employed skilled human labor, asking thoughtful questions about how much better off we, and the planet, truly are in utilizing this strategy at an ever-increasing pace. Schumacher, a German Rhodes Scholar who taught at Oxford University and was chief economist of Britain's National Coal Board, draws from his wide experience to offer a thorough argument in favor of small-scale, human-centered, and beautiful work.
5-3/8" x 8". Softcover. Published by Harper Perennial, New York, NY. 2010. 352 pages.