What We Owe Each Other
A New Social Contract for a Better Society
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What We Owe Each Other
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Narrated by:
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Minouche Shafik
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Written by:
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Minouche Shafik
About this listen
This audiobook narrated by Minouche Shafik provides an urgent rethinking of how we can better support each other to thrive.
Whether we realize it or not, all of us participate in the social contract every day through mutual obligations among our family, community, place of work, and fellow citizens. Caring for others, paying taxes, and benefiting from public services define the social contract that supports and binds us together as a society. Today, however, our social contract has been broken by changing gender roles, technology, new models of work, aging, and the perils of climate change.
Minouche Shafik takes us through stages of life we all experience - raising children, getting educated, falling ill, working, growing old - and shows how a reordering of our societies is possible. Drawing on evidence and examples from around the world, she shows how every country can provide citizens with the basics to have a decent life and be able to contribute to society. But we owe each other more than this. A more generous and inclusive society would also share more risks collectively and ask everyone to contribute for as long as they can so that everyone can fulfill their potential. What We Owe Each Other identifies the key elements of a better social contract that recognizes our interdependencies, supports and invests more in each other, and expects more of individuals in return.
Powerful, hopeful, and thought-provoking, What We Owe Each Other provides practical solutions to current challenges and demonstrates how we can build a better society - together.
©2021 Dame Minouche Shafik (P)2021 Princeton University PressWhat listeners say about What We Owe Each Other
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Mehdi Rifai
- 2023-02-08
Very interesting and thought provoking
To be honest, I thought I was getting another book, one that was more philosophically bent, but was still intrigued by the contents of this one. I do wonder about a few things that she did or didn't cover: the things I've read about UBI don't seem to mesh with the one study she felt was the most reliable on the subject. Also, she covered the wealthy, but only went so far and no further, not bringing up the impact on inflation that a class of ultra wealthy billionnaires whose savings and hoarded wealth exceeds several national economies. I also don't remember hearing anything about the disabled in her focus on health or the elderly, so if it was there, it was blink and you'd miss it. Still, very ambitious, and very enlightening, with a lot of practical considerations and possibly describing the world as it is rather than as it should be, though in so doing perhaps that restricts her imagination of what could be achieved through rewriting the social contract. Or my imagination is limited by what should be rather than what is possible. Very highly recommended read with caveats.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Chelsea Patterson
- 2021-12-17
Essential reading
What We Owe Each Other by Minouche Shafik
Is essential reading.
More than a philosophical diatribe of theories based on old white English men like John Locke this book explores a true 21st Century post COVID reframing of our social contract.
The book is broken down in various sections of life; Children, Education, Health, Work, Old Age and Generations. Each are packed with real world examples on a global scale of different social contracts their benifts and hinderances, as well as their ability to influence other aspects of life.
There is an interesting argument for more money and state intervention on early childhood education, and it’ cost benefits to the child’s health, and work opportunities. Not to mention the immediate benefits to women (and it’s mostly still women) returning to work which lessens their risk of unstable work, that then effect their access to “free” or cost reduced health care, and retirement income later in life.
It was very interesting to hear from someone not affiliated with a political party talk about the pro-cons of various systems however it still be rooted in a feminist, equal opportunity, and a balance approach to all ages with a global nuances taken into account.
Given the recent COVID restructuring and the emergence of more equal societies there soon may be a need to become more thoughtful in our understanding of what we owe each other, what we expect, and what we will not give up.
This book is for anyone interested why certain societies are structured the way they are. And those who wish to develop a new social contract.
The book is wonderfully written, short, and perfectly placed and modern to be extremely relevant to all our lives.
As for the audio, at times the S sound is very annoying but it wasn’t recorded by audible so I’ll won’t hold it against them.
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