The Conjuror by Hieronymous Bosch“A wide-ranging book that really gets to the heart of what is wrong, suggesting realistic responses to profound dilemmas..” Oliver James

Note, 3 July 2017: Credo was published in January 2015. It is out of print now and we don’t plan to have it reprinted. You’re welcome to download an electronic version for free here.

For hundreds of years economists have misrepresented the complexity of human psychology and worked with an asocial understanding of wellbeing. They have celebrated wealthy and powerful patrons and turned a blind eye to pervasive elite crime. They have recommended brutal policies and sanctified the “invisible hand” of supposedly beneficial markets – while downplaying destruction to communities and environments.

Originally part of moral philosophy, economics is a ‘gospel’ that human problems can be traced back to ‘scarcity’, with salvation in efficiency, competitive markets, specialisation, technology and growth. In the contemporary world this guiding faith in the pursuit of growth is crashing against ecological boundaries. The economic system is caught in a Catch 22 because, without growth, it will be impossible to service debts and the financial system will implode.

“Brian Davey’s book takes us on a journey through the dominant theories within the history of economics….In its fifty short, well-written chapters, the book contrasts economic theory with the growing body of evidence on the failure of economics.” Paul Mobbs, The Ecologist

“Davey takes on numerous tropes used to manage us – “improvement”, “progress”, “efficiency” and the rest … it is a volume to be read and re-read”. Craig Newnes, Journal of Critical Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy

“….excellent coverage of our current situation…and an obvious text to recommend for our Sustainable Futures module.” Dr Sarah Gretton, Chair, Education for Sustainable Development Forum, University of Leicester

“…a genuine page-turner spanning, roughly, political economy and ecological economics, which is quite a rare feat …It deserves a wide readership and will be of interest to academics, activists and students, particularly those dissatisfied with the mainstream economics curriculum….” Dr Nick Bardsley, Lecturer in Climate Economics, University of Reading

“Credo works well as an anti-textbook…. It often draws on other disciplines such as psychology,anthropology and sociology, which distinguishes it in many ways from other ecological economics textbooks. Discussions of ideas and practices from indigenous economics are often original and thought-provoking” Dr Milena Buchs, Environmental Values