“Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered, a collection of essays, has been translated into 27 different languages and in 1995 was named by the London Times Literary Supplement as one of the hundred most influential books written after World War II.  The essay ’Buddhist Economics’, which serves as the book’s fourth chapter, was first published in Asia: A Handbook, edited by Guy Wint, published by Anthony Blond Ltd., London, 1966.  This chapter is widely understood as a call for an economics of peace. In the essay Schumacher imagines a multitude of vibrant, self-sufficient villages which, from their secure sense of community and place, work together in peace and cooperation.”  (E.F. Schumacher Society website)

In this book, Schumacher argued that government effort should concentrate on sustainable development, with attention to local development needs especially.  He emphasizes appropriate use of technology – appropriate in terms of addressing human needs, requiring high but dignified labor inputs, appropriate scale, and low environmental impact.  (Schumacher, 1973)

Sources:

Schumacher, F. (1973) Small is Beautiful: Economics As If People Mattered, Blond & Briggs

E.F. Schumacher Society website http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/buddhist_economics.html

Practical Action website:  http://www.practicalaction.org.uk/?id=heritage