Cure for Capitalism?

June 17, 2013

NOTE: Images in this archived article have been removed.

Image RemovedCan we link the decline in our democratic institutions to the nature of the workplaces that occupy so much of our time? Is there reason to believe that we can transition to an alternative economic system while our current economy crashes? Can we learn from the collapse of feudalism and the formation of capitalism to prepare for the next economic system?

In Extraenvironmentalist #61 we talk about historical economic transitions with professor, economist and author Rick Wolff and his recent book Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism. Professor Wolff describes how our future economic system will likely build from alternative arrangements of workplaces through worker self-directed enterprises and cooperative businesses. We ask why changing the way our workplaces operate would change our economic system and how policy ideas from other countries could serve as a framework.

Justin Ritchie

Justin is in Vancouver, BC where he reads books, researches energy, carbon and financial systems at the University of British Columbia Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability while occasionally walking in the forest.


Tags: cooperative businesses, social enterprise