Generation Rent by Shamubeel and Selena Eaqub

Written by economist Shamubeel Eaqub and his partner Selena in 2015 the message in Generation Rent still holds true today. The decline of home ownership has struck at the heart of the Kiwi dream.

House prices may boom or bust but the long-term trend is clear: for more New Zealanders than ever, home ownership is out of reach. Incomes simply have not kept pace with skyrocketing property prices. Generation Rent calls into question priorities at the heart of New Zealand’s identity.

In this BWB Text, Shamubeel and Selena investigate how we ended up here, and what can be done to ensure all New Zealanders – home owners and renters alike – live in affordable and secure housing.

At the time this book was written many of us in regional New Zealand may have considered this ‘an Auckland problem’ and scoffed at the worries of those living so far away in the big city. Never did we imagine that the simple dream of owning, or even renting a home in Hawke's Bay could become so difficult, so out of reach for so many.

This is a short book on a big subject by a great New Zealand writer and thinker. If we are to fix this issue for the coming generations then the ideas in this little book are a good starting point.

Shamubeel spoke recently about Housing and Inequality at the Havelock North Function Centre.

Posted by CC

Catalogue link: Generation Rent

The Almost Nearly Perfect People: The Truth About the Nordic Miracle by Michael Booth

The Tall Poppy Syndrome might be well and truly alive in Michael Booth’s new book. The Nordic countries have been held up as examples of successful societies who manage to be both socially cohesive and financially prosperous. Having married a Danish woman and taken up residence in the country, Booth has taken advantage of this part-insider/part-outsider status to take a closer look at each countries national psyche, in the hope of revealing the secrets to their success and to question whether they really deserve such a glowing reputation.

He admits at the outset that his aim was to seek out the flaws of the Nordic countries and give a more balanced picture. What he gives us is a mixed bag full of cultural stereotypes, quaint local custom, and reportage on social problems such as binge drinking, prejudice against immigrants, right wing politics, and social conservatism. And, that’s before getting on to the Swedes' lucrative arms selling industry and Iceland’s reckless, self-destructing economic policy.

Interviews with numerous experts and leaders are thrown into the mix, but they don’t go deep enough. Booth finishes off without the necessary in-depth analysis or coherent narrative to really answer the burning questions – why do these countries repeatedly come out tops on so many happiness and social wellbeing measures?  And, how can other countries achieve their levels of education, social mobility and plain old contentedness?

Despite this, and the lack of human story to connect to, I can’t complain. I wanted to keep on reading - obviously, I quite enjoy a spot of cultural stereotyping, as un-PC as this is. Who isn’t entertained by learning such interesting facts as 54% of Icelanders believe in elves, and how much in-depth analysis is really necessary on such a topic?

As I can’t afford the airfares to go and see for myself, the book satisfied part of my curiosity about the ‘happiest nations’. We all have flaws, there is no perfect utopia, and social harmony takes more than a shared liking for pickled fish and knitwear.

Posted by Spot

Catalogue Link: The Almost Perfect People

Unfair Trade by Conor Woodman

The global economic crisis challenged the way many of us view our world and how we want to live in it. Conor Woodman gave up his job as an economist to travel the corners of the world investigating the shadier workings of international capitalism and to look behind the ethical, fair trade front of the iconic and everyday brands that fill our shelves.

Unfair Trade tells the personal stories of many hardworking men and women in developing or undeveloped countries, tracing the flow of raw materials along their journey to be processed, manufactured, and marketed for ‘socially responsible’ Western companies.

Unfair Trade did open my eyes to the complexities of ethical trading, but it did not give me, as a consumer, much practical advice on what to put in or avoid in the weekly shop.  It’s still very much up to the individual to put in the hard graft and peel away the façade in order to sort the good banana from the bad banana. This book was a good place to start to get to grips with the complexities of the real world, while being engaged in personal stories of real people. Posted by Spot

About the Author

Conor Woodman is a former City analyst. In 2009, Channel 4 broadcast his four-part series, Around the World in 80 Trades, in which he sold his property and used £25,000 of the proceeds to kick-start his journey through 13 countries.  From Publisher's website

Check our Catalogue : Unfair Trade by Conor Woodman 2011