As in most of the rest of Latin America, Peruvian economic strategy has gone in something of a circle, from long-established orientation toward an open economy with minimal state intervention to a period of state-led development, then back again to what looks like the starting point. In the 1960s, the Peruvian people had their first real chance to make a democratic choice between continuation of the country's open-economy orientation or change, & they chose change. Using this as his starting point, Sheahan explains how their choice was not provoked by any economic crisis but by other major influences. The majority of Peruvians, he shows, were seeking objectives more fundamental than economic growth. They were, with conflicting visions but with many good reasons, "searching for a better society." While positive accomplishments have been important, enough went wrong to lead Peru back to a more market-determined economic system in 1990. Sheahan addresses the consequences of this return to the earlier economic strategy & what might be done to shape the process of development-in Peru & in Latin America more generally-toward less unfair societies. Searching for a Better Society is different from the great majority of economic studies of developing countries in its emphasis on the basic role of social dissatisfaction with the country's traditional liberal economic system & on the complexity of social goals involved in evaluation of the choice & consequences of economic policies.

This book both reinforces and elevates the role of art in the exploration and analysis of the concepts of democracy, globalization and capitalism. It is uncompromising in asking the question about the need for a new global creation story.

From one of the leading policy experts of our time, an urgent rethinking of how we can better support each other to thrive Whether we realize it or not, all of us participate in the social contract every day through mutual obligations among our family, community, place of work, and fellow citizens. Caring for others, paying taxes, and benefiting from public services define the social contract that supports and binds us together as a society. Today, however, our social contract has been broken by changing gender roles, technology, new models of work, aging, and the perils of climate change. Minouche Shafik takes us through stages of life we all experience—raising children, getting educated, falling ill, working, growing old—and shows how a reordering of our societies is possible. Drawing on evidence and examples from around the world, she shows how every country can provide citizens with the basics to have a decent life and be able to contribute to society. But we owe each other more than this. A more generous and inclusive society would also share more risks collectively and ask everyone to contribute for as long as they can so that everyone can fulfill their potential. What We Owe Each Other identifies the key elements of a better social contract that recognizes our interdependencies, supports and invests more in each other, and expects more of individuals in return. Powerful, hopeful, and thought-provoking, What We Owe Each Other provides practical solutions to current challenges and demonstrates how we can build a better society—together.

On April 4, the Bibliotheque Nationale de France and The New York Public Library will present a major exhibition, displaying more than 400 books, manuscripts, drawings, prints, maps, photographs, and other original material from both libraries. This work is the catalog for the American exhibition. Through stirring essays by Roland Schaer and other leading scholars on utopian thought, the book will wxplore the long tradition of thought and art that has envisioned the "perfect place,"moving from classical antiquity to the present. It is conveniently divided into four parts: I. The Classical and Judeo-Christian models for the Western Idea of Utopia; II. The Flowering of Utopian Imagination from Thomas Moore to the Enlightenment; III. Utopia in History; and IV. The Utopias and Dystopias of the 20th Century. Along with a dazzling selection of paintings, illuminations, and other items from the Bibliotheque Nationale's noted collection of medieval and Renaissance manuscripts, The New York Public Library contributions include first or important editions of seminal works of utopian thought, political science, history, and fiction since the invention of printing. As well, The New York Public Library contributes beautiful illustrations from its collection of 16th century drawings of Theodore de Bry, posters from the Soviet Union and the 1939 World's Fair in New York, engravings from colonial times, and illuminationed manuscripts. Lavishly illustrated with many full color representations, this book will appeal to scholars and students of philosophy, history, and art, in addition to general readers curious about utopian thought.

Since the Global Financial Crisis, a surge of interest in the use of finance as a tool to address social and economic problems suggests the potential for a generational shift in how the finance industry operates and is perceived. J. C. de Swaan seeks to channel the forces of well-intentioned finance professionals to improve finance from within and help restore its focus on serving society. Drawing from inspiring individuals in the field, de Swaan proposes a framework for pursuing a viable career in finance while benefiting society and upholding humanistic values. In doing so, he challenges traditional concepts of success in the industry. This will also engage readers outside of finance who are concerned about the industry's impact on society.

Compelling reading, this book both reinforces and elevates the role of art in the exploration and analysis of the concepts of democracy, globalization and capitalism. In the book, the author describes a post-human world, a state we have already entered. But how should we think about it, given we have already been co-opted? Can we articulate the future outside the false discipline that the market often dictates, beyond the clutches of a few social media companies, and maintain our rich diversities while holding on to those things that make life possible and worthwhile: love, hope and art? Running throughout the book is the central theme of uncertainty and divergence. It is uncompromising in asking the question about the need for a new global creation story, which has at its core not the certainties of one defined creation myth but the need to feel comfortable with the uncertainty principle both in physics and the political economy. It is up to artists, scientists and philosophers to articulate this wonder and to help us write a new global creation story based on art (the arts), uncertainty, diversity, risk and wonder – and of course knowledge. This book has the capacity to both clarify and re-shape your thinking.

Outlines how to rethink society's economic, political, and social institutions and actions to take to build better societies.