The Building Blocks of Progress

Civics

Economics

The world today isn’t perfect, but we’ve come a long way in the last 200 years. It didn’t happen by chance. The Building Blocks of Prosperity examines the role governments and individuals have played in delivering this prosperity and asks what must be done to ensure even more progress in the future.

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Prosperity: Is it more than money? | Chapter 1

Prosperity is more achievable for more people than ever before, but there’s still room for progress

Progress: How far have we come? | Chapter 2

From better communication and transportation to improved healthcare and education, humanity has come a long way over the last 200 years.

Scarcity: How does cooperation solve problems? | Chapter 3

Scarcity is an ever-present fact of life, but modern society has been able to produce more than ever. What changed?

The Rule of Law: What is it and why is it beneficial? | Chapter 4

The rule of law secures an individual’s property, ensures contracts are enforced, and provides a legal mechanism to address unjust laws and rules, which creates a stable environment that promotes widespread prosperity.

Choice: Who should have control over your future? | Chapter 5

A well-functioning government is key to prosperity, but too much government control can lead to fewer opportunities and less prosperity.

The Government's Role: When should it step in? | Chapter 6

Good governments advance prosperity by creating institutions and rules that align individual incentives with society’s best interests.

The Economy: Who decides what gets made? | Chapter 7

Who controls supply and demand, if not the government?

Prices: Why do they matter? | Chapter 8

Who gets to decide prices—the government or individuals?

Equality: How can we make sure prosperity is widely shared? | Chapter 9

How should governments work to expand prosperity—by promoting redistribution or the rule of law?

Poverty: How should we help those in need? | Chapter 10

There are trade-offs to consider when designing anti-poverty programs.

Trade: Competition or cooperation? | Chapter 11

Trade allows us to specialize in the goods and services we can produce at the lowest cost, and then trade with those that have goods that they can’t produce as easily themselves.

Free Speech: Why does it matter? | Chapter 12

Freedom of speech is an important part of a prosperous life, but what constitutes harmful speech?

Change: Can it be good for everyone? | Chapter 13

Future technologies will continue to change the way we work, but they’ll also open new opportunities for us to become more prosperous than ever.