The classic reference, for those HN readers who are not in the post-literate society, is Joseph Tainter's
Collapse of Complex Societies. The book explains Tainter's theory explaining collapse (increasing social complexity without commensurate improvement in quality of life) and concludes with an unconvincing representation that our society does not meet the conditions motivating collapse.
https://www.amazon.com/Collapse-Complex-Societies-Studies-Ar...