Chris Patten, Jon D. Erickson, Joseph DiMento, and more for PS Read More

The World of Yesterday, by Stefan Zweig; China After Mao, by Frank Dikotter; The Sustainable Business Handbook, by David Grayson, et al.; and more. The PS Say More Newsletter [PS Read More]( In this week's edition of PS Read More, we share recommendations from Chris Patten, Chancellor of the University of Oxford and the last British governor of Hong Kong. We also highlight three of the extraordinary works – written by Joseph DiMento, Jon D. Erickson, David Grayson, Chris Coulter, and Mark Lee – that were shortlisted for the 2023 Project Syndicate Sustainability Book Award. Chris Patten Recommends... [The World of Yesterday: Memoirs of a European]( By Stefan Zweig In this book, which I recently re-read, Zweig – an Austrian-Jewish intellectual – memorably describes the quality of European civilization, as he saw it from Vienna at the turn of the last century. He then depicts the brutal assault on that civilization that was carried out by what his friend and fellow Austrian writer Joseph Roth called “the mechanized orangutans” of Fascism and Nazism. Zweig wrote the book from exile in the United States and Brazil. On the day after he sent it to his publishers in 1942, he and his wife committed suicide, convinced that European civilization could never be restored. But they were wrong: the values of open societies were reasserted with magnificent success in the second half of the twentieth century. This should be cause for great optimism. [China After Mao]( By Frank Dikötter In this book, which was decidedly relevant in my own writing of The Hong Kong Diaries, Dikötter brings us another brilliant history of China. Following on from his classic trilogy on the Mao years – in particular, the tragedy of liberation, the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution – this book covers the story of Chinese communist rule through to the present. Dikötter argues convincingly that the nature of the CPC renders it incapable of undertaking serious reform. [The Crisis of Democratic Capitalism]( By Martin Wolf I strongly recommend this book by one of the leading British commentators of the last few years, whose writing for the Financial Times covers much more than day-to-day economics. Here, Wolf brings together his sensible thoughts about the mistakes governments have made in managing capitalism in recent years, and the relationship between those errors and the emergence of threats to liberal democracy. He reminds us of the importance of giving everyone an opportunity to live a decent life. We should remember the [wise counsel]( of Alexis De Tocqueville: “the most imperious of all necessities” is “that of not sinking in the world.” Don't miss Patten's recent Say More interview, in which he assesses the challenges British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faces, anticipates more policy mistakes from Chinese President Xi Jinping, highlights two delusions that have distorted Western policymaking on China, and more. [Read now](. Sustainability Book Award Shortlist The Project Syndicate Sustainability Book Award, presented in partnership with La Banque Postale, recognizes one new book that offers uniquely valuable contributions to the public’s understanding of issues of global concern. Below we share some of the shortlisted works. [Polar Shift: The Arctic Sustained]( By Joseph DiMento DiMento says: “The Arctic – a place I love – is undergoing extraordinary changes that affect its people and the world. It is home to old and vital cultures, of crucial natural resources, and of outstanding beauty – all of which are subject to powerful forces and shifts. I began research on environmental protection in the Arctic years ago, as I moved from studying of the Great Seas. But I realized that a focus on the region’s physical environment was too limited; sustainability has other dimensions. In Polar Shift: The Arctic Sustained, I explain that sustainability encompasses societies, cultures, ecology, and history. Devising comprehensive solutions that reflect this broader understanding of sustainability is certainly more complicated, but it is also necessary. And a promising way forward – involving law, civil society, education, philanthropy, and science – has already emerged, and can be further strengthened.” --------------------------------------------------------------- [The Progress Illusion: Reclaiming Our Future from the Fairytale of Economics]( By Jon D. Erickson Erickson says: “The progress illusion is like a bedtime story told by economists – a story in which humans are fundamentally greedy and independent, and the Earth is limitless and at our disposal. But this narrative – including the concept of ‘green growth’ – is nothing more than a fairytale, detached from biophysical reality and lacking a moral compass. In The Progress Illusion, I chart the rise of the progress illusion, and make the case for writing a new story based on care, cooperation, interdependence, and stewardship. The fate of people and the planet depends on it.” --------------------------------------------------------------- [The Sustainable Business Handbook: A Guide to Becoming More Innovative, Resilient and Successful]( By David Grayson, Chris Coulter, and Mark Lee The authors say: “Issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss and natural capital, diversity, equity and inclusion, health and well-being, and inequality were once seen as ‘soft issues’ for business. Now they are hard: hard to ignore, hard to manage, and very hard for businesses that get them wrong. These are often now grouped together under the umbrella of ‘sustainability’ or Environmental, Social, and Governance. But if managers see sustainability/ESG as about only risks and risk-mitigation, they are missing out. Big time. As the management guru Peter Drucker said, ‘Every global problem and social issue is a business opportunity in disguise.’ The goal of The Sustainable Business Handbook is to provide the tens of thousands of businesses that have yet to begin to integrate sustainability into their business models with a straightforward guide for action that will help them embed sustainability in their activities and create more value for their companies and society. Each chapter follows a standard format: what is the topic under discussion, why it matters, and how to manage it well. There are then two examples of what individual businesses are doing in that area, a summary, an action checklist, and a list of further resources. Business examples are drawn from different sectors and different regions around the world. Topics include strategy development, operationalization, sustainable culture, effective board oversight and governance, and communication.” [PS. 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