The main objective of politicians is to maximise economic growth, which heavily drives political policy and decision-making. Critics of the maximisation of growth as the central aim of economic policy have argued that growth in itself is not necessarily a good thing, particularly for the environment; however, what would replace the system and how it would be measured are questions that have been rarely answered satisfactorily. First published in 1991, this book was the first to lay out an entirely new set of practical proposals for developing new economic measurement tools, with the aim of being sustainable, 'green' and human-centred. Victor Anderson proposes that a whole set of indicators, rather than a single one, should play all the roles that GNP (Gross National Product) is responsible for. With a detailed overview of the central debates between the advocates and opponents of continued economic growth and an analysis of the various proposals for modification, this title will be of particular value to students interested in the diversity of measurement tools and the notion that economies should also be evaluated by their social and environmental consequences.

Moved by the Spirit: Religion and the Movement for Black Lives explores the religious and theological significance of the Black Lives Matter Movement. The volume argues for engaging the complex ways religion is present in the movement as well as how the movement is changing religion. The contributors analyze this relationship from a variety of religious and theological perspectives on public protest, the meaning of freedom, Black humanity, the arts and practices of Black religious culture, and the transformation of Black religious communities. The volume reveals that the Movement for Black Lives is changing our understanding of religious experience and communities.

In this study, Victor Anderson traces instances of "ontological blackness" in African American theological, religious and cultural thought, arguing that African American critical thought has been trapped in a racial rhetoric that it did not create and which cannot serve it well. Drawing together 18th- and 19th-century accomodationism and its assimilationist heirs with the movements of Black Power and Afrocentrism, Anderson shows that all exhibit a similar structure of racial identity. He suggests that it is time to move beyond the confines of "the cult of black heroic genius" to what Bell Hooks has termed "postmodern blackness": a racial discourse that leaves room to negotiate African American identities along lines of class, gender, sexuality, and age as well as race.

The concept of 'Natural Capital' has come to play a central role in current debates about biodiversity and nature conservation. It implies an approach to the natural world based on the valuation of places and species in terms of money. This is, in a variety of ways, both attractive and problematic. This edited collection comprehensively discusses the issues raised by the concept of 'Natural Capital', with contributors presenting not only arguments for and against the widespread adoption of the idea, but also viewpoints arguing for nuanced, pragmatic and middle-ground positions.

It is generally assumed, in economics and politics, that the atmosphere is "free". However, the greenhouse effect and global warming have shown this to be a false assumption and the need for active policies to promote preservation of this finite resource are becoming ever more urgent. In "Energy Efficient Policies", Victor Anderson argues for alternative policies to promote energy efficiency in response to the changing composition of the atmosphere and global warming. As the industralized West consumes half the world's energy, despite accounting for only one-sixth of the global population, the study focuses on energy policies in the OECD. The argument centres on the need to end the greenhouse effect by making the transition from a carbon economy to one based on renewable resources. This in turn raises the case for the introduction of the controversial progressive carbon tax. However, energy efficient policies, may at least in the short term, be expensive to implement. The author illustrates some of these economic difficulties by use of case-studies, including the government's attempt to promote energy efficiency in the UK.

It is generally assumed, in economics and politics, that the atmosphere is "free". However, the greenhouse effect and global warming have shown this to be a false assumption and the need for active policies to promote preservation of this finite resource are becoming ever more urgent. In "Energy Efficient Policies", Victor Anderson argues for alternative policies to promote energy efficiency in response to the changing composition of the atmosphere and global warming. As the industralized West consumes half the world's energy, despite accounting for only one-sixth of the global population, the study focuses on energy policies in the OECD. The argument centres on the need to end the greenhouse effect by making the transition from a carbon economy to one based on renewable resources. This in turn raises the case for the introduction of the controversial progressive carbon tax. However, energy efficient policies, may at least in the short term, be expensive to implement. The author illustrates some of these economic difficulties by use of case-studies, including the government's attempt to promote energy efficiency in the UK.

The main objective of politicians is to maximise economic growth, which heavily drives political policy and decision-making. Critics of the maximisation of growth as the central aim of economic policy have argued that growth in itself is not necessarily a good thing, particularly for the environment; however, what would replace the system and how it would be measured are questions that have been rarely answered satisfactorily. First published in 1991, this book was the first to lay out an entirely new set of practical proposals for developing new economic measurement tools, with the aim of being sustainable, 'green' and human-centred. Victor Anderson proposes that a whole set of indicators, rather than a single one, should play all the roles that GNP (Gross National Product) is responsible for. With a detailed overview of the central debates between the advocates and opponents of continued economic growth and an analysis of the various proposals for modification, this title will be of particular value to students interested in the diversity of measurement tools and the notion that economies should also be evaluated by their social and environmental consequences.

The burgeoning terrain of Martin Luther King Jr. studies is leading to a new appreciation of his thought and its meaningfulness for the emergence and shaping of the twenty-first-century world. This volume brings together an impressive array of scholars from various backgrounds and disciplines to explore the global significance of King-then, now, and in the future. Employing King's metaphor of "the great world house," the major focus is on King's appraisal of the global-human struggle in the 1950s and 1960s, his relevance for today's world, and how future generations might constructively apply or appropriate his key ideas and values in addressing racism, poverty and economic injustice, militarism, sexism, homophobia, the environmental crisis, globalization, and other challenges confronting humanity today. The contributors treat King in context and beyond context, taking seriously the historical King while also exploring how his name, activities, contributions, and legacy are still associated with a globalized rights culture.

The burgeoning terrain of Martin Luther King Jr. studies is leading to a new appreciation of his thought and its meaningfulness for the emergence and shaping of the twenty-first-century world. This volume brings together an impressive array of scholars from various backgrounds and disciplines to explore the global significance of King-then, now, and in the future. Employing King's metaphor of "the great world house," the major focus is on King's appraisal of the global-human struggle in the 1950s and 1960s, his relevance for today's world, and how future generations might constructively apply or appropriate his key ideas and values in addressing racism, poverty and economic injustice, militarism, sexism, homophobia, the environmental crisis, globalization, and other challenges confronting humanity today. The contributors treat King in context and beyond context, taking seriously the historical King while also exploring how his name, activities, contributions, and legacy are still associated with a globalized rights culture.

THE HEART HAS A HOMELY FACE is a book of introspective poetry composed on ordinary themes that come through a Taoist perspective. Anderson's poetry rests on a point of inner balance upon common experiences. He brings forth the insights that most people can relate to concerning their connection with all things living. Anderson asks in his work, "What has my life as a poet meant but to tighten the string that ties us all together?" As a philosophical Taoist Anderson tries to weigh all of his subjects with an equal objectivity that evokes empathy and compassion from within one's self, and connects with all humankind.

MLK and the Practice of SpiritualityThe scholarship on Martin Luther King Jr. is seriously lacking in terms of richly nuanced and revelatory treatments of his spirituality and spiritual life. This book addresses this neglect by focusing on King's life as a paradigm of a deep, vital, engaging, balanced, and contagious spirituality. It shows that the essence of the person King was lies in the quality of his own spiritual journey and how that translated into not only a personal devotional life of prayer, meditation, and fasting but also a public ministry that involved the uplift and empowerment of humanity. Much attention is devoted to King's spiritual leadership, to his sense of the civil rights movement as "a spiritual movement," and to his efforts to rescue humanity from what he termed a perpetual "death of the spirit." Readers encounter a figure who took seriously the personal, interpersonal, and sociopolitical aspects of the Christian faith, thereby figuring prominently in recasting the very definition of spirituality in his time. King's "holistic spirituality" is presented here with a clarity and power fresh for our own generation.

At least until recently, most African Americans would know what is meant by "the black church" or by "African American religion." But now, Victor Anderson argues, that tradition is undergoing radical change and harbors great ambiguities and unresolved dilemmas. Anderson's new book seeks to provide a pragmatic but principled way forward for African American religion and life. Anderson's work is two-sided: on one hand, he seeks to deconstruct an older, monolithic idea of African American religion as the stereotypical "black church" experience with one relationship to the larger cultural scene. If that picture was ever accurate, it was always partial, he argues. Constructively, Anderson argues that African American religion experience "is fundamentally understood as relational, processive, open, fluid, and irreducible." The tradition is actually an ongoing creative exchange that relates in many ways to its history, religious institutions, and faith communities. In that creative exchange, he argues, we find here and now instances or moments or events that actualize Martin Luther King's notion of the "beloved community." That image, and the flexibility and pragmatism it implies, best captures the legacy and future of African American religion. Anderson offers it here not just as a nostalgic image but also as an ongoing regulative ideal for African American life and religion.