Buddhist economics; Sustainability; Prosperity; Inequality; Neoliberal; Carbon emissions; Well-being; Government Policies
摘要
Our planet faces the extinction of much of the natural world, including humans, if carbon emissions are not dramatically reduced by 2030 in order to keep the global temperature rise under 1.5 degrees centigrade. Inequality in the United States has surged, and inequality in countries around the world has grown even as it has lessened between rich and developing countries. Yet economies continue to focus on growth of income, which has increased both greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and inequality. This paper asks: How can we create meaningful changes in our economic system to provide shared prosperity, a healthy environment, and reduced suffering? In this paper, I present a vision of Buddhist economics, which is based on known policies to create an equitable, sustainable economy with greater well-being for people in the United States and abroad, as a holistic alternative to free market (neoliberal) economics. First, I describe the Buddhist economic framework and compare it to the free market economic model. Then I discuss four observed relationships that support Buddhist economics: (1) Inequality and carbon emissions go together; (2) Inequality reduces well-being; (3) Society is subsidizing the fossil fuel industry and wasteful consumption by the rich; and (4) People are altruistic as well as self-regarding. To demonstrate how countries have policies compatible with a Buddhist economy, I present the Sustainable Shared-Prosperity Policy Index that ranks countries by their policies that support sustainability, structure markets, and provide social programs and services with the goal of creating a holistic economy that cares for people and the planet.
目次
Abstract 199 Keywords 199 The Problem: An Inequitable and Unsustainable Economy 200 The Solution: The Buddhist Economics Approach 201 Buddhist Economics versus Free Market Economics: Basic Worldviews 202 Data and Evidence 203 1. Inequality and carbon emissions go together. 203 2. Inequality reduces well-being. 204 3. Society subsidizes the fossil fuel industry and the rich. 205 4. People are altruistic as well as self-regarding. 207 How to Create a Buddhist Economy 208 Conclusion 213 Bibliography 214
