A World of Three Zeros: The New Economics of Zero Poverty, Zero Unemployment, and Zero Net Carbon Emissions

Yunus (Banker to the Poor), a Noble Prize winner and founder of the Bangladesh-based Grameen Bank, which pioneered microcredit, describes himself as “fundamentally optimistic about the future.” That optimism permeates his argument that the capitalist system’s economic framework, driven by personal interest, is broken and must be redesigned so that “both personal and collective interests are recognized, promoted, and celebrated.” Yunus’s preferred vehicle for this redesigned economy is the so-called social business, which aims not to enrich investors but improve people’s lives and make the world better. Yunus explains how social businesses can help reduce poverty, unemployment, and environmental degradation. He then examines the “megapowers” that he believes are crucial to his vision of world transformation: young people, old people, technology, good governance, and human rights. Along the way, he expresses his support for fair, free global trade. The book is packed with true-life examples, many from Yunus’s own experiences with Grameen Bank. Though the sparseness of financial data in the text is a weakness, Yunus offers sound recommendations to distribute global wealth more equitably through individual and systemic support for small-scale entrepreneurship. [em](Oct.) [/em]