Slowdown

Danny Dorling is the Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography at the University of Oxford. His previous books include Inequality and the 1% and The Equality Effect.

“[Dorling] argues that society is not speeding up in the way some claim in books like James Gleik’s Faster – The Acceleration of Just About Everything. Indeed, [he] does an excellent and entertaining job of showing that most of this is bunk.”—Iain Macwhirter, Herald“[A]n engrossing read that throws up all manner of questions, as well as offering an upbeat view of the planet’s future”—Paul Donovan, Morning Star Online“While poised at the dawn of the golden age of digital technology, this might seem counterintuitive, but the statistics, phase graphs and the maths back up the case for the end of the 'great acceleration'. Fascinating stuff.”—Nick Smith, Engineering & Technology“Dorling draws on data ranging from the number of books per person published in Holland over the century, to population levels and birthrates for entire continents…[T]he argument is provocative and well worth a read.”—Money Week“Dorling argues convincingly that the global slowdown in population increase is a symptom of global development.”—Victoria White, Irish Examiner“Dorling…argues – with lots of graphs to validate his claims – we are already experiencing a slowdown in terms of population, fertility and even Gross Domestic Product (GDP).”—Sylvia Thomson, Irish Times“[A] fascinating book”—Vicky Pryce, The Society of Professional Economists“Published in the midst of a global pandemic, Dorling’s insightful and persuasive book is a well-timed forecast that the storm will eventually subside and humankind will advance towards an era of peace and stability for all.”—Theo Curtis, LSE Review of Books“Blinded by a cult of progress, many of us can’t see the slowdown that Dorling makes clear. A true public intellectual, he shows that, if we survive, life will be slower—and possibly better.”—Paul Chatterton, author of Unlocking Sustainable Cities: A Manifesto for Real Change“Slowdown is a new standard for visually understanding human history and social change. Using beautifully illustrated graphs, Danny Dorling provides a broad perspective on long-term social changes, the limits of growth, and widening inequalities, and emphasizes the importance of adapting to this slowdown.”—Tomoki Nakaya, author of The Atlas of Health Inequalities in Japan  “A spellbinding book that will almost certainly make you reconsider what you thought was happening in and to the world, and then think again about where we might be heading.“—Juliette Powell, author of 33 Million People in the Room  “Powerful, thought-provoking, and timely. Professor Dorling brilliantly exposes how spiraling work intensity, alongside bumper profits and freedoms for capital, cannot sustain people and planet. From stronger unions to a greener economy, he compellingly shows how we can choose a more hopeful and humane future.”—Frances O’Grady, General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress  “Dorling’s optimism is infectious as he brilliantly explores the huge challenges of a slowing pace of growth while the world transitions to a new ‘normal’ of stable and then shrinking populations.”—Vicky Pryce, author of Women vs Capitalism