Human Scale Development - Conception, Application and Further Reflections

Prof. Max Neef is one of the authorities on sustainable economy. This book was published on 1992 and is a collection of his and his colleagues' thoughts about the topic based on their practical experience which date back to studies started on early seventies.

He starts his observation with a brief last 30 years' economic history from Latin America's point of view, showing that neither Keynes, Friedman nor neo-monetarist theories helped them. We have to find better local models to satisfy fundamental human needs.

He bases sustainable economy to "fundamental human needs", but first he gives a very different view of human needs that makes Maslow's human needs pyramid obsolete. As far as I know, his works also inspired EcoTrust's ConservationEconomy framework (I've just checked their web page and they are calling their framework "Reliable Prosperity" now).

I don't have a formal economy education and had some hard time with the terms at first, but it had become exciting and enlightening as I went on reading the book. If you've come this far checking out about the book and reading reviews, then it is a must read for you.