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Image by Tony Zhen

Books on Social Change

Discussions with Visionaries about New and Upcoming Books

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In #futuregen: Lessons from a Small Country, Jane Davidson explains how, as Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing in Wales, she proposed what became the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 – the first piece of legislation in history to place regenerative and sustainable practice at the heart of government. Unparalleled in its scope and vision, the Act connects social, environmental, economic and cultural well-being and looks to solve complex issues through better decision-making.

Davidson reveals how and why such groundbreaking legislation was forged in Wales, once reliant on its coal, iron and steel industries, and explores how the shift from traditional economic growth to a more sustainable future is creating new opportunities for communities and governments all over the world. 

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Most of what we know about how ideas spread comes from bestselling authors who give us a compelling picture of a world, in which "influencers" are king, "sticky" ideas "go viral," and good behavior is "nudged" forward. The problem is that the world they describe is a world where information spreads, but beliefs and behaviors stay the same.
 
When it comes to lasting change in what we think or the way we live, the dynamics are different: beliefs and behaviors are not transmitted from person to person in the simple way that a virus is. The real story of social change is more complex. When we are exposed to a new idea, our social networks guide our responses in striking and surprising ways.
 
Drawing on deep-yet-accessible research and fascinating examples from the spread of coronavirus to the success of the Black Lives Matter movement, the failure of Google+, and the rise of political polarization, Change presents groundbreaking and paradigm-shifting new science for understanding what drives change, and how we can change the world around us.

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