Maurie J. Cohen is Professor of Sustainability Studies and Director of the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Associate Fellow at the Tellus Institute. He is Editor of Sustainability: Science, Practice, and Policy (SSPP) and co-founder and Executive Board Member of the Sustainable Consumption Research and Action Initiative (SCORAI). His books include Innovations in Sustainable Consumption: New Economics, Socio-technical Transitions and Social Practices (with Halina Szejnwald Brown and Philip Vergragt, Edward Elgar, 2013) and Exploring Sustainable Consumption: Environmental Policy and the Social Sciences (with Joseph Murphy, Pergamon, 2001). He holds a PhD in regional science from the University of Pennsylvania.

• Preface 1: Introduction 2: Fathoming Consumer Society 3: The (Mostly) Empty Promise of the Sharing Economy 4: The Mass Market Maker Movement 5: Localization Fallacies 6: Consumption in the Era of Digital Automation 7: Conclusion

This timely and insightful book is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of Western consumer society. It offers a careful appraisal of the challenging circumstances in which the United Statesthe prototype of consumer societies worldwide finds itself today. Maurie Cohen, a leading expert on sustainable development, carefully outlines and weighs the promises and pitfalls of the alternatives currently being debated as potential pathways to more sustainable societies. Practitioners and policy makers concerned with the good life for consumers, workers, and citizens will find this book an inspirational reference tool.

Maurie J. Cohen is Professor of Sustainability Studies and Director of the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Associate Fellow at the Tellus Institute. He is Editor of Sustainability: Science, Practice, and Policy (SSPP) and co-founder and Executive Board Member of the Sustainable Consumption Research and Action Initiative (SCORAI). His books include Innovations in Sustainable Consumption: New Economics, Socio-technical Transitions and Social Practices (with Halina Szejnwald Brown and Philip Vergragt, Edward Elgar, 2013) and Exploring Sustainable Consumption: Environmental Policy and the Social Sciences (with Joseph Murphy, Pergamon, 2001). He holds a PhD in regional science from the University of Pennsylvania.

• Preface 1: Introduction 2: Fathoming Consumer Society 3: The (Mostly) Empty Promise of the Sharing Economy 4: The Mass Market Maker Movement 5: Localization Fallacies 6: Consumption in the Era of Digital Automation 7: Conclusion

This timely and insightful book is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of Western consumer society. It offers a careful appraisal of the challenging circumstances in which the United Statesthe prototype of consumer societies worldwide finds itself today. Maurie Cohen, a leading expert on sustainable development, carefully outlines and weighs the promises and pitfalls of the alternatives currently being debated as potential pathways to more sustainable societies. Practitioners and policy makers concerned with the good life for consumers, workers, and citizens will find this book an inspirational reference tool.

Maurie J. Cohen is Professor of Sustainability Studies and Director of the Program in Science, Technology, and Society at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and Associate Fellow at the Tellus Institute. He is Editor of Sustainability: Science, Practice, and Policy (SSPP) and co-founder and Executive Board Member of the Sustainable Consumption Research and Action Initiative (SCORAI). His books include Innovations in Sustainable Consumption: New Economics, Socio-technical Transitions and Social Practices (with Halina Szejnwald Brown and Philip Vergragt, Edward Elgar, 2013) and Exploring Sustainable Consumption: Environmental Policy and the Social Sciences (with Joseph Murphy, Pergamon, 2001). He holds a PhD in regional science from the University of Pennsylvania.

• Preface 1: Introduction 2: Fathoming Consumer Society 3: The (Mostly) Empty Promise of the Sharing Economy 4: The Mass Market Maker Movement 5: Localization Fallacies 6: Consumption in the Era of Digital Automation 7: Conclusion

This timely and insightful book is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of Western consumer society. It offers a careful appraisal of the challenging circumstances in which the United Statesthe prototype of consumer societies worldwide finds itself today. Maurie Cohen, a leading expert on sustainable development, carefully outlines and weighs the promises and pitfalls of the alternatives currently being debated as potential pathways to more sustainable societies. Practitioners and policy makers concerned with the good life for consumers, workers, and citizens will find this book an inspirational reference tool.