The great problems of our time such as poverty, inequality, war, terrorism, and environmental degradation are due in part to our flawed economic models that set the wrong priorities and misallocate resources. Conventional economic measures, policies, and practices fail to give visibility and value to the most essential human work the work of caring and caregiving. This powerful book proposes that we need a radical reformulation of economics, one that supports caring and caregiving at the individual, organizational, societal, and environmental levels. This ""caring economics"" takes into account the full spectrum of economic activities from the life-sustaining activities of the household, to the life-enriching activities of caregivers and communities of all types, to the life-supporting processes of nature. Eisler exposes the economic double standard that devalues anything stereotypically associated with women and femininity and shows how this distorts our values and our lives. "The Real Wealth of Nations gives us a template for the better world that we have been so urgently seeking. As practical as it is hopeful, this brilliant book shows how we can build economic systems that meet both our material and spiritual needs. It illuminates the way to a bold and exciting new future." --Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate "A call to action. Not only must politicians, businesses, and financial institutions change, each one of us must play a role in developing a more caring society. This book is an important tool that can help us make that happen --Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE, Founder, The Jane Goodall Institute and United Nations Messenger of Peace "A prescription for an economic system that is both equitable and sustainable. It should be read and used by everyone who wants a better world!' --Deepak Chopra, author of why God Laughing? The Path to Joy and Spiritual Optimism "Eisler delivers another impressive work that's remarkably well referenced. well argued insightful and hopeful." --Publishers Weekly Riane Eisler is president of the Center for Partnership Studies and author of The Chalice and the Blade, Sacred Pleasure, Tomorrow’s Children, and The Power of Partnership. Dr. Eisler is a pioneer in the study of complex systems and the recipient of many honors, including the Humanist Pioneer Award and membership in the World Commission on Global Consciousness and Spirituality. Reasons to Care Much of my life has been a quest. This quest started in my childhood, when my parents and I fled my native Vienna from the Nazis. It continued in the slums of Havana, where we found refuge, and later in the United States, where I grew up. It was a quest for answers to a basic question: Why, when we humans have such a great capacity for caring, consciousness, and creativity, has our world seen so much cruelty, insensitivity, and destructiveness? In the course of my quest I looked for answers in many areas, from psychology, history, and anthropology to education, economics, and politics. And again and again I came back to economics because I saw that we have to change present economic systems if we, our children, and future generations are to survive and thrive. As time went on, and I had children and then grandchildren, the passion animating my quest intensified. So also did my focus on economics. As I looked at my grandchildren, I couldn’t help thinking of the millions of children in our world, all born with a hunger for life, love, and joy, condemned to untimely deaths or lives of unnecessary suffering. As I reflected on the pristine beauty of our oceans and the grandeur of the coastal cities where so many of us live, I thought of the threats from climate changes caused by current economic rules and practices. As I took in the reality around me every day, I saw the stress of families vainly trying to find time for one another, and the pain of people displaced by new technologies that should have been used to improve our lives instead. And again I came back to economics. 2 I saw that in our inextricably interconnected world none of us has a secure future so long as hunger, extreme poverty, and violence continue unabated. I saw that present economic systems are despoiling and depleting our beautiful Earth. I saw that there is something fundamentally wrong with economic rules and practices that fail to adequately value the most essential human work: the work of caring for ourselves, others, and our Mother Earth. Gradually, I began to explore economics from a new perspective. I saw the need for an economics that, while preserving the best elements of current economic models, takes us beyond them to a way of living, and making a living, that truly meets human needs. I also saw that we need a much broader approach to economics: one that takes into account its larger social and natural context. I invite you to join me in exploring this new perspective on economics. I ask that you l