In general we prefer more than less. Whether it is money, cake, time etc Additions and multiplications are also quite easy to model. Of course economists have worked on this issue. Marginal utility, decreasing returns are important concepts. Behavioral economics are playing a bigger role... Optimization is a nice shortcut: Risk/return. But the underlying horizon remains “more”. Getting more for the same price, same risk .... or trading less of something of which I have enough for more of something I don’t have yet. More is also behind growth. Until we reach some limits. Then some call for less. De-growth or de-globalisation seem back in favor today. As on a two way street. Grow or de-grow. Globalize or de-globalize. The idea of better -growth or globalization- is rarely taken seriously. For some it is a mask to do more of the same. For others it is a dangerous illusion. And better is not easy to model. Better is however a way forward worth considering. But it requires some homework and a real discussion of our objectives, norms or tools. For instance complement the risk/return analysis with a third dimension: sustainability or resilience. Better is better than more. More demanding and complex as well. More or less . #marktoplanet
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