about the book

There is no inexorable trade-off between advancing human well-being and having a clean and safe environment. The goal of economic policy should be to grow the good things that improve our well-being and environmental quality and reduce the bad things that harm humans and nature. To reorient the economy for these ends, we will need to achieve a more egalitarian distribution of power and wealth. Climate change adds urgency to this task, and at the same time opens new opportunities for building a greener future.

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The audiobook version, released in 2021, is revised and updated with new chapters on the Green New Deal and the environmental costs of inequality. Available from Audible and from Google Play.

Pre-listen to a chapter

Read an interview here


Praise for Economics for people and the planet

“A great read for experts and a new generation alike.”

– Kevin Gallagher, Director, Global Development Policy Center, Boston University

“Elegantly written, carefully crafted, deeply personal and every bit policy-relevant.”

– Eloi Laurent, Senior economist, Sciences Po Centre for Economic Research, Paris

“Starting from first principles Boyce offers a range of essays that inform, challenge and inspire.”

– Manuel Pastor, Director, Program for Environmental and Regional Equity, University of Southern California