In defense of global capitalism / Johan Norberg.

"Translation by Roger Tanner with Julian Sanchez"--T.p. verso.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

This is a great little book, just brimming with facts and figures, statistics and upbeat anecdotes that make it clear that the world is (as John Lennon foresaw), "Every day, in every way, ...getting better and better." So often pro-capitalist books are written by stogy and conservative seeming old men who, while often correct, seem to be speaking to and about an older century. This book by Johan Norberg, a relatively young Swede (born 1973), is remarkable in being for and about a younger generation of humans, which is overall healthier, wealthier, freer, better educated and more equal than any in history. It is about real positive change from the ground up (via the free market) instead of from central planners. Besides surveying the improving state of the world today Norberg also covers a wide range of topics that relate to capitalism, globalization and free trade (as well as simply and clearly defining them).

This is the perfect book to encourage an optimism in those just getting started, an optimism sorely lacking in most media, political and academic accounts of life on Earth in the 21st century. This 2003 Cato Institute edition was originally written at the turn of the century and published in Sweden in 2001, and my only caveat in praising it is that it could use an update. A lot has happened in the past 11 years and it would be good to see (in the facts and stats and, Norberg's more mature attitude of today) how it continues to be positive for the majority of humans. It's this overall perspective that is so easy to lose track of - especially given the widely covered economic upheavals and sectarian military conflicts which have for many defined the first decade of this century.

Life in the 21st century is full of serious challenges (and Norberg acknowledges these, while documenting how they are generally ameliorated by democracy and capitalism), but we're fully capable of meeting them and adapting and resolving and even, yes, thriving with them. The key word here is "we" - the global group of freely choosing individuals - that is the 100% which is easy to miss in the heated partisan debates. This 100% is what the inherently dynamic (creative/destructive) capitalist market nurtures and is nurtured by. The 21st century will either be the century of individual liberty (which the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries began recognizing and valuing, but only partly delivered), or it'll be much worse than anything we can imagine... My vote is for optimism.