After capitalism / David Schweickart.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Schweickart, David.

Series:

New critical theory

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Democracy.

Capitalism.

Socialism.

Physical Description:

xxix, 247 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Edition:

Second edition, Revised edition.

Place of Publication:

Lanham, Md. : Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, [2011]

Summary:

In After Capitalism David Schweickart moves beyond the familiar arguments against globalizing capitalism to contribute something absolutely necessary and long overdue-a coherent vision of a viable, desirable alternative to capitalism. He names this system Economic Democracy, a successor-system to capitalism that preserves the efficiency strengths of a market economy while extending democracy to the workplace and to the structures of investment finance. Drawing on both theoretical and empirical research, Schweickart shows how and why this model is efficient, dynamic, and superior to capitalism along a range of values. Book jacket.

Contents:

1 Counterproject, Successor-System, Revolution 1

1.1 The Counterproject 3

1.2 Successor-System Theory 8

1.3 Historical Materialism 10

1.4 Criteria 13

1.5 Revolution 14

1.6 A Note on Gender 16

1.7 An Outline of the Argument 19

2 Justifying Capitalism 23

2.1 What Is "Capitalism"? What Is a "Capitalist"? 24

2.2 Neoclassical Shenanigans: Marginal Product as Contribution 27

2.3 Capitalism's White Knight: The Entrepreneur 34

2.4 Risk and Reward: Playing Reverse-Lotto 36

2.5 The Utility (and Disutility) of Deferred Consumption 42

2.6 TINA 46

3 Economic Democracy: What It Is 47

3.1 Economic Democracy: The Basic Model 47

3.1.1 Worker Self-Management 49

3.1.2 The Market 51

3.1.3 Social Control of Investment 51

3.2 The Viability of Economic Democracy 58

3.3 The Mondragon Experiment 66

3.4 A Note on the Public Sector 73

3.5 Economic Democracy: The Expanded Model 75

3.5.1 The Government as Employer-of-Last-Resort 75

3.5.2 Socialist Savings and Loan Associations 76

3.5.3 Capitalists under Socialism 77

3.6 Fair Trade, Not Free Trade 80

4 Capitalism or socialism? Inequality, Unemployment, Overwork, Poverty 85

4.1 Workplace Democracy: Some Behavioral Consequences of Structural Change 87

4.2 Inequality 90

4.3 Unemployment 97

4.3.1 A Note on Inflation 104

4.4 Overwork 106

4.5 Poverty 111

4.5.1 Poverty in Rich Countries 112

4.5.2 Poverty in Poor Countries 113

4.5.3 A Note on Racism 119

4.5.4 A Note on Immigration 121

5 Capitalism or Socialism? Economic Instability, Environmental Degradation, Democracy 125

5.1 Economic Instability 125

5.1.1 A Note on the Current Crisis 134

5.2 Environmental Degradation 139

5.2.1 Overpopulation 139

5.2.2 Food Scarcity 141

5.2.3 Pollution/Climate Change 142

5.3 Democracy (Lack Thereof) 151

5.3.1 A Note on Anticommunism 159

5.3.2 A Note on Liberty 162

5.3.3 A Note on Political Parties 163

6 Getting from Here to There 165

6.1 Economic Democracy as an Orienting Device 165

6.1.1 How the World Looked Then (2001) 166

6.1.2 How the World Looks Now (2011) 171

6.1.3 Note on China 174

6.2 An Economic Democracy Reform Agenda 179

6.2.1 Democratizing Labor 180

6.2.2 Democratizing Capital 181

6.2.3 Toward Full Employment 183

6.2.4 Toward Fair Trade 183

6.2.5 Democratizing Democracy 184

6.3 From Reform to Revolution 187

6.3.1 Radical Quick 188

6.3.2 Radical Slower (with Concern for Stockholders) 190

6.3.3 Slower Still (without a Financial Meltdown) 192

6.4 A New Communism? 193

6.5 A New World 196

6.5.1 Compelling Visions 196

6.5.2 What Should I Do? 202.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780742564978

0742564975

9780742564985

0742564983

9780742564992

0742564991

OCLC:

715287416