A New Economic Paradigm
When something doesn’t work you either get it fixed or replace it. Makes sense right? Take capitalism. It careens from crisis to crisis. It has systemic structural problems. The traditional remedies, such as legislative reform, don’t work or if they do they are soon outflanked by power brokers who know how to game the rules. The Great Recession continues. Discontent and anger are growing. The Occupy movement has illuminated how deeply the deck is stacked against the ordinary citizen. It is past time to look at alternatives in how the economy is organized. Fundamental changes are required. It may take a long time but seeds are now being sown. There are bottom-up grassroots efforts quietly going on that suggest a different model. There is an emerging “new economy” which empowers communities and workers, not corporations.
Interview by David Barsamian.
Recorded at Harvard.
Speaker
Gar Alperovitz
Gar Alperovitz is Professor of Political Economy at the University of Maryland and co-founder of the Democracy Collaborative. He is the author of numerous books, including Making a Place For Community, and America Beyond Capitalism.
Ricco Fruscio –
This interview was so enlightening and Gar Alperovitz was brilliant. Having each worker being invested in the outcome of the business changes the source of their contribution. Doing things for the company for their country and for themselves at the same time is the closest it comes to the great words of Abraham Lincoln “of the people, for the people and by the people” to ensure the success of the all three at the same time.