The Long Boom: A Vision For The Coming Age Of Prosperity [Paperback]

As we stand at the threshold of the new millennium, the future seems both exhilarating and terrifying. Does it hold great promise of freedom and opportunity or the threat of conflict and inequality? In the tradition of such influential and defining books asFuture ShockandMegatrends, Peter Schwartz, Peter Leyden, and Joel Hyatt argue inThe Long Boomthat we are, in fact, on the verge of a global economic expansion on a scale never before experienced -- and that the choices we make as informed individuals, institutions, communities, and nations today will determine whether that vision is realized. Analyzing economic, political, technological and socio-cultural trends that began to converge in the early 1980s, the authors offer a compelling -- and highly plausible -- vision of how the next twenty years will unfold. By 2020, we can expect to experience tremendous advances in now-emerging technologies; widespread adoption of alternative energy sources; increased productivity; and, perhaps most important, the creation of a truly global economy. Going beyond a description of this scenario, the authors identify potential bumps in the road and urge educators, policy makers, business leaders, social activists, and individuals in all types of organizations to participate in the politics of the long boom, the realm where people come together to pool resources and solve common problems. Grand in scope but intensely personal in scale,The Long Boomshows us all how to take an active role in creating a vibrant, diverse, constantly learning, and sustainable global society.Peter Schwartzis co-founder and Chairman of the Global Business Network. Author of the international bestseller,The Art of the Long View, he lives in Berkeley, California.

Peter Leyden, former managing editor ofWiredmagazine and special correspondent in Asia forNewsweek, has written and spoken about technology, economics and politics since the mil£¢