323: Is the Rise of a Global Middle Class Good for Climate?—w/ Dr. Homi Kharas, author of The Rise of the Global Middle Class

The world is becoming wealthier. Is that a good thing? Or should we be looking to simpler and less material lives? How does a middle class global population affect climate change, for good or ill?

On today's show, Dr. Homi Kharas, a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution and author of The Rise of the Global Middle Class: How the Search for the Good Life Can Change the World, elaborates on what it means to be middle class, emphasizing the relevance of choice as a defining characteristic. People drop the concept all the time, but it isn't really clear what is meant by it. Is it about per capita earnings? Security? The type of labor done? Something else?

He explores how the middle class's values and choices intersect with issues like climate change and government policy. Dr. Kharas sheds light on the evolution of capitalism, arguing that it has always adapted to societal changes, and suggests that this continued evolution is optimism-inspiring.

He counters the narrative of a trade-off between material prosperity and carbon emissions, asserting that technology can and should allow for both!

Tune in today to get a dose of history and economics!

Resources

Dr. Homi Kharas's website

The Rise of the Middle Class: How the Search for the Good Life Can Change the World

Amartya Sen on Capabilities

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