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The European dream : how Europe's vision of the future is quietly eclipsing the American dream

Title: The European dream : how Europe's vision of the future is quietly eclipsing the American dream / Jeremy Rifkin.
Author: Rifkin, Jeremy.
Publication: New York : Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, [2004], ©2004.

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request for On-site Use Request Scan How do I pick up this item and when will it be ready?	Text	Request in advance	HC240 .R54 2004	Off-site

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Details

Description

viii, 434 pages; 24 cm

Summary

"While the American Dream is languishing, says bestselling author Jeremy Rifkin, a new European Dream is beginning to capture the attention and imagination of the world. Twenty-five nations, representing 455 million people, have joined together to create a United States of Europe." "The European Union's $10.5 trillion GDP now eclipses that of the United States, making it the largest economy in the world. The EU is already the world's leading exporter and largest internal trading market. Moreover, much of Europe enjoys a longer life span and greater literacy, and has less poverty and crime, less blight and sprawl, longer vacations, and shorter commutes to work than we do in the United States. When one considers what makes a people great and what constitutes a better way of life, observes Rifkin, Europe now surpasses America." "More important, Europe has become a giant laboratory for rethinking humanity's future. In many respects, the European Dream is the mirror opposite of the American Dream. While the American Dream emphasizes unrestrained economic growth, personal wealth, and the pursuit of individual self-interest, the European Dream focuses more on sustainable development, quality of life, and the nurturing of community." "Rifkin draws on more than twenty years of personal experience working in Europe, where he has advised heads of state and political parties, consulted with Europe's leading companies, and helped spur grassroots environmental and social justice campaigns. The author delves into the history of Europe, from the medieval era to postmodernity, to capture the soul of the new European consciousness."--BOOK JACKET.

Subject

Bibliography (note)

Includes bibliographical references (p. [417]-423) and index.

Contents

1. The slow death of the American dream -- 2. The new land of opportunity -- 3. The quiet economic miracle -- 4. Space, time, and modernity -- 5. Creating the individual -- 6. Inventing the ideology of property -- 7. Forging capitalist markets and nation-states -- 8. Network commerce in a globalized economy -- 9. The "United States" of Europe -- 10. Government without a center -- 11. Romancing the civil society -- 12. The immigrant dilemma -- 13. Unity in diversity -- 14. Waging peace -- 15. A second enlightenment -- 16. Universalizing the European dream.

ISBN

1585423459 (alk. paper)

LCCN

2004047935

OCLC

54826177
ocm54826177
SCSB-5100424

Owning Institutions

Columbia University Libraries