Book Review: Progress and Poverty (Doucet, ACX Contest Winner)
The Astral Codex Ten book-review-contest winner that launched the modern Georgism revival in rationalist and effective-altruist circles.
Summary
In 2021, Lars Doucet won Scott Alexander's Astral Codex Ten Book Review Contest with a review of Henry George's Progress and Poverty. The review is widely credited as the spark of the modern Georgism revival online.
Why It Matters
Doucet's review reintroduced George's 142-year-old argument to a large, analytically demanding audience — rationalists, effective altruists, and tech readers — who had never taken land seriously as an economic factor. Its success led directly to Doucet's Does Georgism Work? series and his book Land Is a Big Deal, and seeded interest among figures like Vitalik Buterin and Noah Smith. It is the single most influential piece of recent Georgist popular writing.
Sources
- Lars Doucet (2021), "Your Book Review: Progress and Poverty," Astral Codex Ten / Game of Rent. Game of Rent