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Whatever Happened to the Affluent Society?  Whatever ever
happened to the ‘Affluent Society’?   With economic markets in
turmoil the world over, do we need a fresh rethink on the
economy of the 'West'? Martin Hickes reports.   Just over 50
years ago, the renowned American economist and liberalist J K
Galbraith published his seminal work ‘The Affluent Society’.
Canadian-born Galbraith, lionised in some quarters as the
‘Einstein’ of the sometimes arcane world of economics,
envisioned a new post-war liberalism, calling for a ‘new
economics’ to reflect the rise of a war-torn world out of
austerity and poverty.   With the direction of the US and the
world economies at perhaps their biggest post-war crossroads
ever, and at a time when the very nature of capitalism is being
questioned, it is time for an economic re-think?   With many
struggling to repay mortgages, and the global credit crunch
biting hard, have we finally come to the end of the 50-year bu