The Harried Leisure Class

193 Pages·1970·140.563 MB·English

by  Staffan Burenstam Linder

The Harried Leisure Class

306,48
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COBALI I ONI SE OSITE
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15 Mayıs 1988
151
TTÜPEANE
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1970
КАТА
Copyright © 1970 Columbia University Press
International Standard Book Number: 231-08649-0 Ruperb und
International Standard Book Number: 0-231-03302-8 Cloutbound
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6
ISI
To My Children
Mariana and Göran
177828

Acknowledgments
The ideas presented in this book stemmed initially from a short
and little noticed paper written by Roy F. Harrod in 1958. On the
theme of an increasing scarcity of time, I then wrote a short essay
that was published in 1963. Active work on the present book was
started toward the end of 1964. Concentrated writing was made
possible by a generous offer to spend a number of months at the
Economic Growth Center of Yale University during the autumn of
1966.
In order that I might enjoy the benefit of my colleagues' criticism,
I originally wrote this book in English. With a view to reducing the
lack of clarity in the argument and its presentation, I wrote the final
version of the manuscript in Swedish. Mr. Keith Bradfield has helped
me carry the text back into English.
Among those from whose advice and opinions I have benefited, I
should like particularly to mention Stephen Hymer, Fred L. Pryor,
and Clark W. Reynolds, all of whom were working at the Economic
Growth Center while I was there. Gary S. Becker and Victor R.
Fuchs read and commented upon my manuscript at a later stage.
The Swedish Council for Social Science Research has given me
grants for the procurement of certain literature and to meet transla
tion costs. Stockholms Enskilda Bank has also supported my work
in various ways.
K.-G. Mäler has placed his mathematical knowledge at my dis
posal and has been of great assistance in my efforts to formalize the
central arguments in a mathematical appendix. The library of the
Stockholm School of Economics and, in particular, Miss Margareta
Lundén there have been of great service in obtaining literature of a
Acknowledgments
type different from that usually handled by the library. Mrs. Kerstin
Johanson has checked the references and quotations. Miss Brita
Modin has been mainly responsible for the onerous task of typing
numerous versions of the manuscript.
To all these persons and institutions I would express my heart
felt thanks.
S. B.L.
Contents
CHAPTER I The Increasing Scarcity of Time
CHAPTER II The Disappearance of Idleness
16
CHAPTER III Work Time
28
CHAPTER IV The Decline of Service in the Service Economy
38
CHAPTER V Short Cuts in Private and Public Services
47
CHAPTER VI The Rationale of Growing Irrationality
60
CHAPTER VII The Acceleration of Consumption
77
CHAPTER VIII Culture Time
94
CHAPTER IX Savings and the Allocation of Time
110
CHAPTER X Will We Reach a Consumption Maximum ? 120
CHAPTER XI The Period of Decadence 131
CHAPTER XII Economic Ultimates
141
Mathematical Appendix
147
Notes and References
156
Index
177
Till now man has been up against Nature;
from now on he will be u p a gainst h is o wn n ature.
DENNIS GABOR, Inventing the Future