No book is the simple product of a writer … or two. Both John and Dave are indebted to many people for the ideas in this book and for their support during its writing.
FROM JOHN
Thanks, first, to the folks who helped inspire this project and found me the resources to begin developing its first products: Nancy Folbre and James Boyce, both faculty in the University of Massachusetts Department of Economics, Mike Conroy of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and Laura Pacheco, my colleague for the first stage of the project.
Thanks, also, to Tim Jones, my co-faculty for the University of Washington “What’s the Economy for, Anyway?” summer school class, to Lance Bennett and Gael Tarleton, who helped make that class possible, and to my intern, Atanas Grozdev. I am indebted to Nancy Parkes, my colleague for a class of the same name at the Evergreen State College, and to Lloyd Jansen, who helped Tim Jones create the www.citizeneconomy.org Web site for the original project.
David Fox and Diana Wilmar provided great production work on the film, What’s the Economy For, Anyway? Thanks also go to our distributor, Bullfrog Films, and to everyone who helped support that film.
I want to acknowledge my board members at Take Back Your Time, especially Cecile Andrews, who offered many creative ideas; my partner for the Happiness Initiative, Laura Musikanski, executive director of Sustainable Seattle; Vicki Robin and Susan Andrews, who helped get me to Brazil; and the many people I met there, including my new friends from Bhutan, who taught me about Gross National Happiness. Thanks to all the faculty and students I have learned from at the many colleges where I have spoken over the years.
Thanks to all my colleagues at KCTS-TV, who help keep me informed, to all the authors whose ideas informed me, and especially to Paula and David, for putting up with my travels and my hypocritical overwork, as I urge others to work less. Life is never simple. And finally, thanks to my colleague, Dave Batker, for his patience whenever I ranted.
FROM DAVE
A book takes time outside normal demands; I could not have accomplished this without the kind patience and wonderful support of my family. My gorgeous journalist wife, Isabel de la Torre, improved my writing through the years and helped improve parts of this book. Our wonderful children, Rafael and Gabriel, my amazing parents, Ken and Nell Batker, and my dear sister, Carol, were all astoundingly supportive throughout this project.
It has been a pleasure for me to work with John de Graaf on the film and book. What’s the Economy For, Anyway? was John’s idea. When he asked me to work on the film, I immediately liked the idea and dove in. Thanks to the Cosman Family Foundation, Mountaineers Foundation, and Glaser Progress Foundation, which provided funding for the film. Thanks also to Annie Leonard, who encouraged me and, with her example, showed me that this project could be done.
I was warned that writing a book would be incompatible with my work as executive director of Earth Economics (www.eartheconomics.org), but the staff and board were outstandingly supportive in allowing me to take time to complete this book: Jennifer Harrison-Cox, Tedi Dickinson, Maya Kocian, Rowan Schmidt, Yvonne Snider, Joshua Reyneveld, Ingrid Rasch, David Cosman, and Joshua Farley. Earth Economics is stronger today; I am deeply privileged to work with them all.
Many academic colleagues assisted with work that is reflected in this book: my mentor, Herman E. Daly, and colleagues Sarah Anderson, Robert Costanza, John Erikson, Roel Boumans, Ferdinando Villa, Ken Bagstad, Marta Ceroni, Jack Santa Barbara, John Day, and Paul Kemp.
We both thank our agent, Melissa Flashman, who cheerfully opened doors we could not have. Peter Ginna of Bloomsbury immediately understood the project. Both he and Pete Beatty edited the manuscript and gave excellent suggestions that strengthened the book. Thanks also to Maya and Jan Kocian, who provided the visuals, and to our production editor, Laura Phillips. The errors and omissions in this book should be blamed only on us.