The World in 2000 Years (1878) is a work of science fiction based on economics. In the future it describes, the primary objective of economic policy is the prevention of the accumulation of money into the hands of relatively few individuals. While making money remains an objective, it is subsidiary to the determination to steer it in the right direction and redistribute it in such a way as to give every member of society the opportunity to earn a living free of hardship and strife.

Whereas readers in 1878 could only make a simple comparison between their own world and the world of 3878 as it was glimpsed by the hero, contemporary readers can make a third comparison with the world of 2011, which adds an additional perspective of considerable significance to anyone interested in the future of our society.