The US Review of Books

06
November 2017

The US Review on the book «Planetary Rent: As An Instrument for Solving Global Problems»

"Future harmonious development of modern civilization is based on awareness of the fact that the nations of our planet share a common fate..."

The term "planetary rent" refers to the global agreed-upon use of resources, including social, economic, political, and natural resources. The author, having earned PhDs in political science and economics, is obviously well-versed on the subject, and this scholarly work seems best suited for upper-division university reading in global policy development and international studies.

As explained by Bezgodov, The Planetary Project vision is "to develop into a world scholarly humanistic movement that offers a new world economy paradigm...and practically a new historical and evolutionary scenario based on the actualized interpretation of such terms as “development," “progress” and “civilization,” to which the environmental and planetary humanistic imperative requirements are applied." In other words, planetary rent conceptualizes governance as a world body rather than fractured countries with mutually exclusive goals and visions.The concept is not new, given the record of international agreements such as the treaty banning atmospheric nuclear testing, the Kyoto agreement, and dozens more outlined in the book. But, as the author explains, the concept can be taken so much farther and must be in order to preserve the livability of the planet.

Early on in the book, the author explains rent in the most basic terms for readers who may not be political scientists or economists, so that most can grasp the concepts and why they are so vital and pertinent both today and for the future. Although this book is not light reading, it contains vital information and concepts long overdue to be discussed in a more public forum. Readers, students or otherwise, can learn much invaluable information by delving into this extensive publication—and none too soon as we see the arms race, gas pipelines, nuclear energy, and numerous other of the world's shared resources renegotiated amongst nations.

Reviewed by Toby Berry.

The review on theusreview.com.

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