Elena’s Reviews > Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist > Status Update

The extraordinary success of tech companies like Apple is sometimes held up as evidence of the market’s dynamism. … but the basic research behind every innovation that makes a smart phone ‘smart’ -GPS, microchips, touchscreens and the internet itself - was funded by the US government.

… ‘good is up’ and ‘good is forward’ are deeply embedded in Western culture, shaping the way we think and speak. … no wonder we have so willingly accepted that economic success must also lie in an ever-rising national income. It fits with the deep belief … that ‘ even if more material goods are not themselves most important, nevertheless, a society is happier when it is moving forward.’