
A World of Three Zeros
The New Economics of Zero Poverty, Zero Unemployment, and Zero Net Carbon Emissions
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Narrated by:
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Dan Woren
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By:
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Muhammad Yunus
About this listen
A winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and best-selling author of Banker to the Poor offers his vision of an emerging new economic system that can save humankind and the planet
Muhammad Yunus, who created microcredit, invented social business, and earned a Nobel Peace Prize for his work in alleviating poverty, is one of today's most trenchant social critics. Now he declares it's time to admit that the capitalist engine is broken - that in its current form it inevitably leads to rampant inequality, massive unemployment, and environmental destruction. We need a new economic system that unleashes altruism as a creative force just as powerful as self-interest.
Is this a pipe dream? Not at all. In the last decade, thousands of people and organizations have already embraced Yunus's vision of a new form of capitalism, launching innovative social businesses designed to serve human needs rather than accumulate wealth. They are bringing solar energy to millions of homes in Bangladesh; turning thousands of unemployed young people into entrepreneurs through equity investments; financing female-owned businesses in cities across the United States; bringing mobility, shelter, and other services to the rural poor in France; and creating a global support network to help young entrepreneurs launch their start-ups.
In A World of Three Zeros, Yunus describes the new civilization emerging from the economic experiments his work has helped to inspire. He explains how global companies like McCain, Renault, Essilor, and Danone got involved with this new economic model through their own social action groups, describes the ingenious new financial tools now funding social businesses, and sketches the legal and regulatory changes needed to jumpstart the next wave of socially driven innovations. And he invites young people, business and political leaders, and ordinary citizens to join the movement and help create the better world we all dream of.
©2017 Muhammad Yunus (P)2017 Hachette AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
"A book to make Wall Street quake." (Kirkus Reviews)
"With wealth disparity an ongoing global concern, Yunus's inspiring and hopeful message is a must-read for all readers with even a semblance of economic literacy." (Library Journal, starred)
What listeners say about A World of Three Zeros
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- Beverly
- 04-12-24
Very Important Read
Mr. Yunus has a plan and has been working that plan for over 30 years. He has been outrageously successful. This book blew the top off my head. It opened my eyes & mind and has inspired me to action.
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- Musa Nova Phoenix
- 01-07-20
wonderful
This book brings hope to billions of impoverished people around the world. It is a beacon calling out to the future of a world to come.
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Overall
- Mitzy
- 01-13-19
good ideas, a little egotistical
It did bug me that Yunus presented his solutions as cure-alls. However, he convinced me that his ideas could make a big difference in the world once he got to social business funds.
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- Caroline
- 08-12-18
Un livre important pour changer le monde
Ce livre se classe aisément dans mon top 10 pour la qualité des enseignements, la richesse des exemples et la possibilité de les transposer dans ma communauté.
J’ai écouté le livre souvent munie de la version papier, ce qui me permettra de revenir aux importantes informations et de rallier les gens autour de certains projets.
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- Shawn Oueinsteen
- 11-11-17
Nobel Winner's Personality Cheapens His Greatness
Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize because he is doing great things for the world. But he names things after himself. Everything he describes seems small. He comes across as combative and complaining. That's very sad, as he is doing great things. This book should be as great as his works, but it isn't.
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- A. C.
- 11-02-17
Amazing concept
Wow. This man is doing god’s work. Our society should be exalting real heroes like this rather than actors and athletes. The book itself is a little repetitive and not necessarily all that well written, but that’s a minor nit for a book that’s conveying such an important and innovative concept. I hope it catches on. I’ll certainly be spreading the word.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Matthe
- 04-02-20
Read with Humanizing the Economy
The book presents a great intermediary idea between our existing unsustainable way of operating economically and a richer more vibrant future socioeconomic theory. Three Zeros left me optimistic that we can bridge our current cycles of inequality effectively enough to buy time to discover new ideas.
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- Mauro Locarnini
- 11-08-21
Like Yunus ideas - beware hidden ego
I think the general idea of using business models to solve social issues is great.
I agree with the idea of evolving capitalism, but instead of having a second branch (Yunus’ so called social business) we would have capitalism internalize externalities. Otherwise we end up with some businesses destroying the planet and society so that social businesses come behind to fix them with the money created by profit maximizing businesses. This idea is flaw. I understand the transition to internalize all externalities might be slow and difficult.
The idea that everyone should be an entrepreneur is also short sighted. We need synergies and scale to be efficient. We should rather replicate and grow working solutions other than encouraging the heropreneurship syndrome.
Finally the supposedly selflessness is not such, behind it there is a huge ego that does things for pride if not for money, yet a selfish interest, that prevents synergies and collaboration.
There is no need to oppose making money to doing good. Humanity will only prosper if we can achieve both, and it is possible. The solution is not a parallel social business but having current institutions in all three sectors internalize as much as possible externalities. Transform governance and ownership to have them serve the cause and not the owners. Put engagement with the cause at the center of capital management and decision making.
Great to think we can expand capitalism instead of getting read of it. Yet many challenges in the basic concepts that tend to perpetuate a rich guy doing bad things to give money to a good guy who will alleviate poverty but not reduce the gap that will continue to remain the same if not grow.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Julian Cohen
- 11-13-18
wonderful ideas
Wonderful ideas though expressed on a very lengthy manner for my taste.
What Yunus proposes could have a tremendous impact in solving many of the world's most complex problems.
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- Juan Fernando Lopez Diaz
- 05-24-18
10/10
great for young entrepreneurs and a mindshifting book for all of us in order to help not by giving for free but to invest and trust in others to make this world a better place.
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