The Mystery of the Kibbutz : Egalitarian Principles in a Capitalist World / Ran Abramitzky.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Abramitzky, Ran, author.

Series:

Princeton economic history of the Western world.

The Princeton Economic History of the Western World ; 73

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Kibbutzim--Economic aspects.

Kibbutzim.

Genre:

Electronic books.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (346 pages).

Place of Publication:

Princeton, NJ : Princeton University Press, [2018]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

How the kibbutz movement thrived despite its inherent economic contradictions and why it eventually declinedThe kibbutz is a social experiment in collective living that challenges traditional economic theory. By sharing all income and resources equally among its members, the kibbutz system created strong incentives to free ride or-as in the case of the most educated and skilled-to depart for the city. Yet for much of the twentieth century kibbutzim thrived, and kibbutz life was perceived as idyllic both by members and the outside world. In The Mystery of the Kibbutz, Ran Abramitzky blends economic perspectives with personal insights to examine how kibbutzim successfully maintained equal sharing for so long despite their inherent incentive problems.Weaving the story of his own family's experiences as kibbutz members with extensive economic and historical data, Abramitzky sheds light on the idealism and historic circumstances that helped kibbutzim overcome their economic contradictions. He illuminates how the design of kibbutzim met the challenges of thriving as enclaves in a capitalist world and evaluates kibbutzim's success at sustaining economic equality. By drawing on extensive historical data and the stories of his pioneering grandmother who founded a kibbutz, his uncle who remained in a kibbutz his entire adult life, and his mother who was raised in and left the kibbutz, Abramitzky brings to life the rise and fall of the kibbutz movement.The lessons that The Mystery of the Kibbutz draws from this unique social experiment extend far beyond the kibbutz gates, serving as a guide to societies that strive to foster economic and social equality.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

INTRODUCTION: The kibbutz puzzle

PART I. THE RISE

CHAPTER 1. How my grandparents helped create a kibbutz

CHAPTER 2. A bird's-eye view

CHAPTER 3: Why an economist might create a kibbutz

PART II. THE SURVIVAL

CHAPTER 4. On the creation versus survival of societies

CHAPTER 5. The free- rider problem

CHAPTER 6. The adverse selection and brain drain problems

CHAPTER 7. The problem of human capital investment

PART III. THE FALL

CHAPTER 8. The shift away from equal sharing

CHAPTER 9. Why some kibbutzim remained egalitarian and others did not

CHAPTER 10. The consequences of rising income inequality

CHAPTER 11. On the (lack of) stability of communes: an economic perspective

CHAPTER 12. Economic lessons in a nutshell

CHAPTER 13. Epilogue

Kibbutz timeline

Acknowledgments

References

Index

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 305-323) and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 23. Mai 2019)

ISBN:

9781400888153

1400888158

OCLC:

1132662143