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A review by cheenu
Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future by Martin Ford
4.0
The thesis of the book is that automation of processes across the skill spectrum is eating more jobs than it is generating. (As well as some other interesting consequences - such as "deskilling" jobs thus making them easy targets for outsourcing or wage stagnation).
His book is a mix of data and antecedents to demonstrate this is the case. Personally, I found it a little bit too heavy on antecedents and light on the data side but to be fair to the author, he is not an economist and this book is targeted for popular reading. He does do a pretty good job giving the "lay of the land" though.
If you believe that automation currently is and will be the major cause of mass employment in future, then definitely read it (that's me, so I enjoyed the book). If you're a skeptic, then don't read it unless anecdotal data works for you. I also liked his chapter on "basic income", I thought it gave a pretty good overview of the advantages, disadvantages and challenges of "basic income".
His book is a mix of data and antecedents to demonstrate this is the case. Personally, I found it a little bit too heavy on antecedents and light on the data side but to be fair to the author, he is not an economist and this book is targeted for popular reading. He does do a pretty good job giving the "lay of the land" though.
If you believe that automation currently is and will be the major cause of mass employment in future, then definitely read it (that's me, so I enjoyed the book). If you're a skeptic, then don't read it unless anecdotal data works for you. I also liked his chapter on "basic income", I thought it gave a pretty good overview of the advantages, disadvantages and challenges of "basic income".