[Books](/books) ![Progress](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/serial_cover_phone/public/images/progress-130.jpg?itok=MgIrjOaB) Join the Conversation [\#CatoBooks](https://x.com/hashtag/CatoBooks) Purchase This Book [ Amazon ](https://www.amazon.com/Progress-Reasons-Look-Forward-Future/dp/1786070650) [ Barnes & Noble ](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/progress-johan-norberg/1123925374?ean=9781786072320) [ Apple Books ](https://books.apple.com/us/book/progress/id1485939191) # Progress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future A Book of the Year for *The Economist* and the *Observer*. An illuminating and heartening analysis of just how far we’ve come in tackling the greatest problems facing humanity. April 2017 • Published By OneWorld Publications By [Johan Norberg](https://www.cato.org/people/johan-norberg) Join the Conversation [\#CatoBooks](https://x.com/hashtag/CatoBooks) Purchase This Book [ Amazon ](https://www.amazon.com/Progress-Reasons-Look-Forward-Future/dp/1786070650) [ Barnes & Noble ](https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/progress-johan-norberg/1123925374?ean=9781786072320) [ Apple Books ](https://books.apple.com/us/book/progress/id1485939191) Our world seems to be collapsing. The daily news cycle reports the deterioration: divisive politics across the Western world, racism, poverty, war, inequality, hunger. While politicians, journalists and activists from all sides talk about the damage done, Johan Norberg offers an illuminating and heartening analysis of just how far we have come in tackling the greatest problems facing humanity. In the face of fear-mongering, darkness and division, the facts are unequivocal: the golden age is now. [ Download Episode ](https://feeds.acast.com/public/streams/5e28e0d8963f166217546493/episodes/5e44e158a21592ee313f2614.mp3)Subscribe: [ Apple Podcasts ](http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/cato-daily-podcast/id158961219) [ Spotify ](https://open.spotify.com/show/4dHRhKEljj8zcLdl3Gvsv7) ##### Praise for the book “Reminds us that headlines are misleading and that history and data show that life has been getting radically better in every way.” —*Observer, Books of the Year* “A blast of good sense.” —*The Economist* “Norberg has a strong case and he makes it with energy and charm. A pertinent book for grumpy times.” —Robbie Millen, *The Times* “In this brightly written, upbeat book, the Swedish author blends facts, anecdotes, and official statistics to describe “humanity’s triumph” in achieving the present unparalleled level of global living standards… While acknowledging the mayhem, hunger, and poverty still facing much of the world, the author remains optimistic that human ingenuity will prevail in shaping the future. A refreshingly rosy assessment of how far many of us have come from the days when life was uniformly nasty, brutish, and short.” —*Kirkus* ##### About the author Johan Norberg is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and a writer who focuses on globalization, entrepreneurship, and individual liberty. Norberg is the author and editor of several books exploring liberal themes, including [*Progress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future*](https://www.amazon.com/Progress-Reasons-Look-Forward-Future/dp/1780749503?tag=catoinstitute-20), named by *The Economist* as one of the best books of 2016; [*Financial Fiasco: How America’s Infatuation with Homeownership and Easy Money Created the Economic Crisis*](https://www.amazon.com/Financial-Fiasco-Americas-Infatuation-Ownership/dp/1935308130); and [*In Defense of Global Capitalism*](https://www.amazon.com/Defense-Capitalism-Norberg-Institute-Defence/dp/1930865473), originally published in Swedish in 2001 and since published in over 20 different countries. Norberg has also been the writer and host of numerous television documentaries on such subjects as globalization, India, energy, and Adam Smith. His most recent, *Corporate Welfare: Where’s the Outrage?*, reveals the government’s role in the 2008 financial crash and can be watched at [Free to Choose Network](https://www.freetochoosenetwork.org/programs/corporate_welfare/).