Best Selling Books by Arthur C Brooks

The roadmap for finding purpose, meaning, and success as we age, from bestselling author, Harvard professor, and the Atlantic''s happiness columnist Arthur Brooks. Many of us assume that the more successful we are, the less susceptible we become to the sense of professional and social irrelevance that often accompanies aging. But the truth is, the greater our achievements and our attachment to them, the more we notice our decline, and the more painful it is when it occurs. What can we do, starting now, to make our older years a time of happiness, purpose, and yes, success? At the height of his career at the age of 50, Arthur Brooks embarked on a seven-year journey to discover how to transform his future from one of disappointment over waning abilities into an opportunity for progress. From Strength to Strength is the result, a practical roadmap for the rest of your life. Drawing on social science, philosophy, biography, theology, and eastern wisdom, as well as dozens of interviews with everyday men and women, Brooks shows us that true life success is well within our reach. By refocusing on certain priorities and habits that anyone can learn, such as deep wisdom, detachment from empty rewards, connection and service to others, and spiritual progress, we can set ourselves up for increased happiness. Read this book and you, too, can go from strength to strength.

The author analyzes evidence and empirical research to determine which groups are the happiest in America; and offers suggestions on how the government can help individuals maximize their happiness.

For too long, conservatism has been a movement of the head and not the heart. Now New York Times bestselling author Arthur C. Brooks offers a bold new vision for conservatism as a movement for happiness, unity, and social justice—a movement of the head and heart that boldly challenges the liberal monopoly on "fairness" and "compassion." Many Americans today see two dispiriting political choices: ineffective compassion on one side and heartless pragmatism on the other. Progressives have always presented themselves as champions of the poor and vulnerable. But they have not succeeded—more and more people are hopeless and dependent on government. Meanwhile, conservatives possess the best solutions to the problems of poverty and declining mobility. Yet because they don''t speak in a way that reflects their concern and compassion, many Americans don''t trust them. Americans know that outmoded redistribution yields poor results and does little for the pursuit of happiness. But there seems to be no conservative alternative that looks out for those struggling to get by. Arthur Brooks, one of the country''s leading policy experts and the president of the American Enterprise Institute, has considered these issues for decades. Drawing on years of research on the sources of happiness and the conditions of human flourishing, Brooks presents a social justice agenda for a New Right. Proposing a set of practical policies firmly grounded in the four "institutions of meaning"—family, faith, community, and meaningful work—Brooks describes a government safety net that actually lifts people up, and offers a vision of true hope through earned success. Brooks argues that it is time for a new kind of conservatism, one that fights poverty, promotes equal opportunity, and extols spiritual enlightenment. It is an inclusive, optimistic movement with a positive agenda to help people lead happier and more fulfilling lives. Clear, well-reasoned, accessible, and free of vituperative politics, The Conservative Heart is a welcome new strategy for conservatives looking for fresh, actionable ideas—and for politically independent citizens who believe that neither side is adequately addressing their needs or concerns.

Entrepreneurship, personal responsibility, and upward mobility: These traditions are at the heart of the free enterprise system, and have long been central to America''s exceptional culture. In recent years, however, policymakers have dramatically weakened these traditions -- by exploding the size of government, propping up their corporate cronies, and trying to reorient our system from rewarding merit to redistributing wealth. In The Road to Freedom, American Enterprise Institute President Arthur C. Brooks shows that this trend cannot be reversed through materialistic appeals about the economic efficiency of capitalism. Rather, free enterprise requires a moral defense rooted in the ideals of earned success, equality of opportunity, charity, and basic fairness. Brooks builds this defense and demonstrates how it is central to understanding the major policy issues facing America today. The future of the free enterprise system has become a central issue in our national debate, and Brooks offers a practical manual for defending it over the coming years. Both a moral manifesto and a prescription for concrete policy changes, The Road to Freedom will help Americans in all walks of life translate the philosophy of free enterprise into action, to restore both our nation''s greatness and our own well-being in the process.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER To get ahead today, you have to be a jerk, right? Divisive politicians. Screaming heads on television. Angry campus activists. Twitter trolls. Today in America, there is an “outrage industrial complex” that prospers by setting American against American, creating a “culture of contempt”—the habit of seeing people who disagree with us not as merely incorrect, but as worthless and defective. Maybe, like more than nine out of ten Americans, you dislike it. But hey, either you play along, or you’ll be left behind, right? Wrong. In Love Your Enemies, social scientist and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller From Strength to Strength Arthur C. Brooks shows that abuse and outrage are not the right formula for lasting success. Brooks blends cutting-edge behavioral research, ancient wisdom, and a decade of experience leading one of America’s top policy think tanks in a work that offers a better way to lead based on bridging divides and mending relationships. Brooks’ prescriptions are unconventional. To bring America together, we shouldn’t try to agree more. There is no need for mushy moderation, because disagreement is the secret to excellence. Civility and tolerance shouldn’t be our goals, because they are hopelessly low standards. And our feelings toward our foes are irrelevant; what matters is how we choose to act. Love Your Enemies offers a clear strategy for victory for a new generation of leaders. It is a rallying cry for people hoping for a new era of American progress. Most of all, it is a roadmap to arrive at the happiness that comes when we choose to love one another, despite our differences.

We all know we should give to charity, but who really does? Approximately three-quarters of Americans give their time and money to various charities, churches, and causes; the other quarter of the population does not. Why has America split into two nations: givers and non-givers? Arthur Brooks, a top scholar of economics and public policy, has spent years researching this trend, and even he was surprised by what he found. In Who Really Cares, he demonstrates conclusively that conservatives really are compassionate-far more compassionate than their liberal foes. Strong families, church attendance, earned income (as opposed to state-subsidized income), and the belief that individuals, not government, offer the best solution to social ills-all of these factors determine how likely one is to give. Charity matters--not just to the givers and to the recipients, but to the nation as a whole. It is crucial to our prosperity, happiness, health, and our ability to govern ourselves as a free people. In Who Really Cares, Brooks outlines strategies for expanding the ranks of givers, for the good of all Americans.

America faces a new culture war. It is not a war about guns, abortions, or gays -- rather it is a war against the creeping changes to our entrepreneurial culture, the true bedrock of who we are as a people. The new culture war is a battle between free enterprise and social democracy. Many Americans have forgotten the evils of socialism and the predations of the American Great Society''s welfare state programs. But, as American Enterprise Institute''s president Arthur C. Brooks reveals in The Battle, the forces for social democracy have returned with a vengeance, expanding the power of the state to a breathtaking degree. The Battle offers a plan of action for the defense of free enterprise; it is at once a call to arms and a crucial redefinition of the political and moral gulf that divides Right and Left in America today. The battle is on, and nothing less than the soul of America is at stake.

For undergraduate and graduate courses in social entrepreneurship and nonprofit management. This text brings together the established pedagogy of entrepreneurship with cutting edge nonprofit and public management tools.

Many arts firms are experiencing increasing costs relative to their revenues. This dissertation argues that demand management, if properly defined and pursued, represents at least a partial solution to this problem. First, an approach to demand expansion that depends on the luxury image of arts firms'' products is compared both theoretically and empirically to one that emphasizes exposing new audience members to the arts. Data on symphony orchestras suggest that the first approach is more effective for lower-budget orchestras, while the second is better for larger orchestras. Second, the relationship between public subsidies to the arts and private philanthropy is examined. Whereas arguments could be made that public funds either leverage or crowd out donations, symphony orchestra data indicate that the two funding sources are in fact independent. Third, on the cost side, it is shown that the ability to lower costs by substituting part-time or noncontracted artists for some that are currently full-time may be an effective strategy to fight the cost-revenue gap, for some firms. Based on these results, it is argued that public arts policy that treats all firms homogeneously and restricts the use of funds is almost certainly suboptimal.

Encontre prosperidade verdadeira, satisfação e propósito ao longo da vida Na primeira metade da vida, pessoas obstinadas e ambiciosas mergulham de cabeça em uma fórmula simples para alcançar o sucesso profissional e pessoal: foco, trabalho incessante, sacrifícios pessoais e grande empenho para chegar ao topo. Dá certo. Até que um dia para de dar. A segunda metade da vida é regida por regras diferentes. Na meia-idade, para muitos desses obstinados, o sucesso chega com cada vez mais dificuldade, as recompensas se tornam menos satisfatórias e as relações familiares ficam mais escassas. Em resposta, eles dobram a carga de trabalho em uma tentativa de contornar o declínio e a fraqueza e negam mudanças cada vez mais evidentes. O resultado costuma ser raiva, medo e decepção justo em um momento da vida em que imaginamos que estaríamos plenamente felizes, realizados e orgulhosos. Em Cada vez mais forte, o especialista em felicidade e autor best-seller Arthur C. Brooks revela um caminho diferente e promissor. Valendo-se das ciências, da filosofia clássica, da teologia e da história, ele compartilha estratégias contraintuitivas para nos desvencilharmos de velhos hábitos e aderir a novas práticas. As transformações da vida são inevitáveis, mas o sofrimento não. Cada vez mais forte mostra como aceitar os presentes da segunda metade da vida com alegria e propósito.

¿Qué hacer ante un escenario en el que los políticos parecen decididos a dividirnos y nos vemos abocados a una crispación permanente debido al bombardeo de mensaje al que nos someten las redes sociales y los medios de comunicación? ¿Realmente estamos condenados a vivir en esta "cultura del desprecio" a la que nos hemos ido acostumbrando, a un modus operandi en el que no estar de acuerdo se asocia no sólo a discrepar, sino a la descalificación y el insulto? Arthur C. Brooks demuestra que el abuso y la indignación no son la fórmula correcta para un éxito duradero y ofrece una forma de liderazgo alternativa basada en tender puentes y restablecer relaciones. Sus recetas no son convencionales ni se limitan a evocar el civismo y la tolerancia. La clave está en centrarnos en aquellas cosas que nos unen y aprender a gestionar el desacuerdo como una herramienta de mejora: en esa diferencia de opiniones está la base de una competencia sana para alcanzar los propósitos comunes. Los sentimientos que alberguemos hacia nuestros "enemigos" son irrelevantes, lo que importa es cómo actuemos. Ama a tus enemigos ofrece una estrategia clara para una nueva generación de líderes. Es una llamada unificadora a las filas de ciudadanos deseosos ver un progreso tanto en la forma de hacer política como en la convivencia; y es, ante todo, una hoja de ruta para hallar la felicidad que conlleva vivir en armonía a pesar de nuestras diferencias.

Auf dem Höhepunkt seiner Karriere, im Alter von 50 Jahren, begibt sich Arthur Brooks, gefeierter Bestsellerautor, renommierter Harvard-Professor und erfolgreicher Glückskolumnist auf eine siebenjährige Reise. Er hat scheinbar alles erreicht, was sich ein Mensch nur wünschen kann, doch auch für ihn bricht die zweite Hälfte des Lebens an. Alles Mühen und Streben führt auf einmal nicht mehr zu mehr Erfolg, sondern zu der immer stärkeren Gewissheit, all das nicht ewig durchhalten können, auch wenn er es noch so sehr versucht. Doch Brooks findet einen Weg. Er schafft es nicht nur aus dem Hamsterrad des Erfolgs auszusteigen, sondern findet vielmehr eine neue Art von Erfolg und noch mehr: eine tiefere Form von Glück. Im Lauf seiner Reise sogar einen wahren Sinn im Leben – und das zum ersten Mal. Dieses Buch ist die Essenz daraus – ein praktischer Fahrplan für den Rest des Lebens. Das Verfahren beschreibt Brooks Schritt für Schritt und bietet endlich echte Antworten auf die zeitlosen Fragen des Lebens.

Nonostante il 70% degli americani abbia fiducia nel sistema fondato sulla libera iniziativa, lo Stato continua a crescere per dimensioni e competenze. Il motivo di ciò, secondo Arthur Brooks, è che i loro freddi argomenti statistici non convincono il cuore della gente. Affinché diventi vincente, un’idea deve prima conquistare il cuore della gente. Ciò può richiedere molto tempo. È giunto il momento che gli assertori della libertà di impresa si facciano avanti e colgano ogni occasione disponibile per spiegare come il sistema capitalistico sia non solo corretto dal punto di vista scientifico e materiale, ma anche e soprattutto morale. È quello che si propone di fare l’autore, che accanto ai dati numerici, presenta, in questo volume, ragionamenti di carattere morale. Il libero mercato, che più di ogni altro sistema garantisce giustizia e mobilità sociale, corrisponde infatti alle preoccupazioni morali delle persone. Il «successo conquistato» per mezzo di rischi e sacrifici avvicina alla felicità e alla realizzazione personale molto più dell’assistenzialismo, capace solo di condurre verso una spirale di dipendenza dallo Stato che non giova né all’animo umano né al tessuto sociale. Il sistema capitalistico, fondato su libertà, competizione e meritocrazia, più di quello basato sul welfare pubblico, esalta le individualità, produce equità di opportunità, aiuta gli svantaggiati, educa le persone alla carità. Quello che Brooks propone è un manifesto morale del capitalismo in un’epoca decisiva per le sorti politiche ed economiche degli Stati Uniti e del mondo.