Revised and reworked, this edition argues that since the 1950s, governments around the world have made economic growth their primary focus in the belief that by baking the biggest national cake, they are creating the resources needed to fulfill their political goals. Richard Douthwaite presents research from the USA, Britain, Germany and Australia that shows that this "growth first, goals later" strategy is not working, and that since the mid-1980s the growth process has actually destroyed more resources than it has created on a sustainable basis. As these economies run backwards, their citizens become worse off.