Scarcity in the Modern World: History, Politics, Society and Sustainability, 1800-2075

Citation

Coclanis, Peter A. (2020). Scarcity in the Modern World: History, Politics, Society and Sustainability, 1800-2075. Journal of Interdisciplinary History, 50(4), 588-589.

Abstract

It is interesting and at first blush ironic that in a time of unparalleled abundance when the proportion of the world's population that lives in "extreme poverty" is at an all-time low, concerns about scarcity have become increasingly prominent. A little reflection reveals that the new prominence accorded the issue of scarcity is related in complicated but powerful ways to other contemporary concerns, particularly population growth, rising living standards worldwide, climate change, the earth's carrying capacity, etc. One of the virtues of Scarcity in the Modern World is that the editors and authors generally adhere to the position that abundance and scarcity are subjective and contextual concepts that are linked logically rather than ironically and perforce should be examined and analyzed together. This important insight is but one of many in this challenging but rewarding interdisciplinary collection.

URL

https://doi.org/10.1162/jinh_r_01488

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2020

Journal Title

Journal of Interdisciplinary History

Author(s)

Coclanis, Peter A.

Article Type

Regular

Continent/Country

Nonspecific

ORCiD

Coclanis - 0000-0002-2499-8560