Globalisation, Inequalities and the Commodification of Life and Well-being

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index. Publisher Marketing: Wealth and money, which are meant to be sources of human happiness and facilitators of good social relations, have instead become a monstrosity way beyond human control. The unbridled quest to make money and accumulate wealth as well as assign social significance on the basis of the outcome of individuals' efforts in the process, has ended up distorting existence and the meaning of being human itself. This work brings a collection of very provocative and challenging papers that confront the problems created by wealth. Can there be happiness when wealth is increasingly concentrated in fewer and fewer hands? Can wealth really bring happiness? And what are the implications of the current trend to commodify everything for the project of human happiness?