America Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming Our Wealth, Our Liberty, and Our Democracy [Paperback]

Gar Alperovitz (Author), James Gustave Speth (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 9, 2011

2011 edition, with a new introduction by the author and a new foreword by James Gustave Speth As discontent with the economic and political status quo mounts in the wake of the "great recession", America Beyond Capitalism is a book whose time has come. Gar Alperovitz's expert diagnosis of the long-term structural crisis of the American economic and political system is accompanied by detailed, practical answers to the problems we face as a society. Unlike many books that reserve a few pages of a concluding chapter to offer generalized, tentative solutions, Alperovitz marshals years of research into emerging "new economy" strategies to present a comprehensive picture of practical bottom-up efforts currently underway in thousands of communities across the United States. All democratize wealth and empower communities, not corporations: worker-ownership, cooperatives, community land trusts, social enterprises, along with many supporting municipal, state and longer term federal strategies as well. America Beyond Capitalism is a call to arms, an eminently practical roadmap for laying foundations to change a faltering system that increasingly fails to sustain the great American values of equality, liberty and meaningful democracy. Gar Alperovitz is the Lionel R. Bauman Professor of Political Economy at the University of Maryland and co-founder of the Democracy Collaborative. He is the author of numerous books, including Unjust Deserts (with Lew Daly), Making a Place For Community (with Thad Williamson and David Imbroscio), Rebuilding America (with Jeff Faux) and, in connection with foreign policy, Atomic Diplomacy and The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb.

Product Details

• Paperback: 372 pages
• Publisher: Democracy Collaborative; 2nd edition (November 9, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0984785701
• ISBN-13: 978-0984785704
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,471 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Gar Alperovitz (born May 5, 1936) is Lionel R. Bauman Professor of Political Economy at the University of Maryland, College Park Department of Government and Politics. He is a former Fellow of King's College, Cambridge; a founding Fellow of Harvard's Institute of Politics; a Fellow at the Institute for Policy Studies; and a Guest Scholar at the Brookings Institution. Alperovitz also served as a Legislative Director in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, and as a Special Assistant in the Department of State. Alperovitz is a founding principal of The Democracy Collaborative at the University of Maryland, and a member of the board of directors for the New Economics Institute (NEI).

More information at http://garalperovitz.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Important Book for an Interesting Time December 2, 2011

By George Marin

Format:Paperback

First published prior to the housing collapse, financial crisis, and great recession, this book was originally years ahead of its time. At a time of relative (or perhaps perceived) prosperity, it predicted longer term economic pain and political stagnation (2nd ed.; pp. 6-7); At a time of relative (or perhaps perceived) social tranquility and political lethargy, it anticipated popular upheavals and political realignment (2nd ed.; p. 8 & 236); At a time when inequality was generally ignored or considered an acceptable byproduct of a successful economy, it used the language of 2011's "Occupy Movement" to criticize a system in which "the top 1 percent now garners for itself more income each year than the bottom 100 million Americans combined," (2nd ed; p. 1) and proposed a new model "based on the judgment that greater equality, greater individual economic security, greater amounts of free time, and--upon this basis--the reconstitution of a culture of common responsibility are ultimately required if we are ever to reorient our community and national priorities in general" (2nd ed; p.234); At a time when most were focused solely on political change at the top (replacing President George W. Bush), it explicitly identified as its central argument the belief that the early years of the 21st century would involve a serious debate about systemic questions and that actual events would open the space for a bottom-up movement towards eventual systemic change (2nd ed; p.234); And critically, when such efforts were not seriously considered in mainstream discourse, it identified an expanding set of community wealth building and democratizing initiatives as possible building blocks for the next system (2nd ed; part II)....

As we approach 2012, the credibility of the current economic and political system is in tatters. With ever rising inequality, record poverty levels, political gridlock, debt, decaying infrastructure, mass unemployment, and environmental decline, many in the Occupy Movement, the Tea Party, and in between are for the first time considering systemic problems and systemic solutions. In this sense, the re-issue of America Beyond Capitalism is incredibly timely as it presents a rich and detailed analysis of the complex set of challenges facing our country, as well as a vision of, and practical path to achieve, an alternative that is based upon democracy, institutions that build community wealth, decentralization, and liberty. As the author writes in the introduction to the 2nd edition: "We need to know clearly where we are going and where we want to go...America Beyond Capitalism is best thought of as a `tool-box' of practical precedents that can be built upon, along with theoretical work that can perhaps help guide a coherent integration of the parts." (2nd ed; p. xxviii)For everyone considering the future of the current political and economic system and anyone interested in what the next system might or should look like, this "tool-box" belongs on your shelf. Read more ›

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars From branddenotes.blogspot.com: America Towards Cooperativism January 31, 2012

By J.P. Franks

Format:Paperback

If I were to propose a way to put the United States, and the rest of the world, on a path towards a sustainable economy and a liveable, humane, and vibrant society, I would begin like this: First, I would nationalize the media, revising the constitution to institute the media as a democratically-controlled, de jure fourth branch of government. I'd then turn to the nationalization of the banks, energy companies, and all other natural monopolies, creating a democratic governing structure for nationalized industries equally responsive to their workers and the public at large. Then I'd cut the military by 80% or so, re-purposing "defense" companies with government contracts to build a sustainable energy infrastructure, and a sustainable agriculture system. Maybe then I'd focus on democratizing university governing structures while increasing funding both to eliminate tuition fees and to equip them to produce far more graduates with advanced degrees to form the core of a massive increase in adult education nation- and worldwide. Oh, and then there's the matter of instituting maximum work weeks and work-sharing requirements, to both increase free time and eliminate unemployment.

Unfortunately, taking a flight of fancy such as this soon puts one in the position of a Wiley E. Coyote, pausing and looking down to realize that he has left the ground beneath him a while ago, and is now hundreds of meters above the floor of a canyon. As one plummets down, reality becomes clear: the next presidential election will be between a Mormon private equity capitalist and a milquetoast reformer with the daring of an ostrich and a big crush on financiers. There. Is. No. Hope....

But then comes a book written by someone with over half a century's worth of experience with social change, to say: "those who say that nothing can be done because reactionaries control everything simply do not recall or do not know how impossible the world felt before the 'unexpected' explosions of the 1960s." Well - that is me. "Those who tell me the opposition to change, now, is so great that nothing can be done would do well to read just a bit about what it was like before the civil rights movement was a movement." Touché! OK, old man - whaddya got?

For one, he's no googly-eyed optimist, ignorant of just how screwed we currently are: "[c]ontributing to both the relative and absolute trends during much of the final quarter of the twentieth century was the fact that hourly wages of the bottom 60 percent did not rise as fast as inflation - with the result that the real income each person earned, hour by hour, was actually lower in 1995 than in 1973. For very large numbers of Americans, the only reason total family income rose - very modestly - was that people worked longer hours and/or spouses (mainly wives) went to work in increasing numbers. ... [M]any would have been better off if the economy had simply stood still at the 1973 level."

Check. But what to do about it?

That's coming. But first, Alperovitz demonstrates that the recognition that our economy is structured in an absolutely insane way is not exclusive to the Left. In fact, some of the most interesting parts of the book lay out the thoughts of older conservative economists and political theorists, which demonstrate that many of the core values of the Left may be shared more broadly than one might think. For instance:

"The 'Chicago school' conservative economist Henry C. Simons analyzed the underlying logic of [concentrated corporate] power and came to the conclusion that 'regulatory strategies' involved the worst of all solutions. Even public ownership was better, he felt - even from the perspective of free-market economic theory. At least it provided for public disclosure of information and open oversight. The state, Simons proposed, 'should face the necessity of actually taking over, owning, and managing directly ... industries in which it is impossible to maintain effectively competitive conditions.' Likely candidates included railroads, 'utilities, oil extraction, life insurance, etc.' For similar reasons Simons suggested that it might make sense for metropolitan governments to 'acquire much or most of the land in their areas.'"

Sure hasn't hurt Singapore.

But this is just one of the interesting asides in the book. The heart of the book is a revealing, surprising, and heartening description of how much progress has already been made, under the radar, in a staggering variety of cooperative, municipal and employee-owned enterprises. To provide just one example:

"In general, ESOPs [employee stock ownership plan-having companies] have been found to be as productive or more productive than comparable non-ESOP firms. Annual sales growth, on average, is also greater in ESOP than in non-ESOP firms. When ESOPs are structured to include greater participation, however, the advantages of worker ownership increase substantially. Studies [...] all confirm that combining worker ownership with employee participation commonly produces greater productivity gains, in some cases over 50 percent."

And this is just one example of hundreds that Alperovitz provides of a country experiencing the development of a substantial cooperative sector within an otherwise dog-eat-dog capitalist economy. As opposed to my flight of revolutionary fancy above, Alperovitz's vision is a piecemeal, ground-up process of continual development and improvement. His idea, it seems, is that the cooperative sector can grow to such an extent that its existence, and viability, will become apparent on a national level. And, when the next economic crash comes (just give the financial sector a little more time), the idea of cooperativism will be prominent enough that it will form the paradigm the federal government will have to turn to in reforming and rebuilding the economy. Read more ›

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars AMERICA BEYOND CAPITALISM by Gar Alperovitz Encourages An America Beyond Partisanship February 1, 2012

By C. A. Webb TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

We all have our views, and I think that is fine; however, at the end of the day our goal should be to look for solutions instead of just reasons to fight and try to keep someone else from a victory. That is seen all around us, but especially in politics. When it comes to what will help us to be the country we were meant to be, it is books like Gar Alperovitz's AMERICA BEYOND CAPITALISM that helps us to remember what is really important today.

Though it is obvious he is more a supporter of the Progressive movement and the direction they would like to see the country head in, Gar is open to the fact that all of us regardless of our political views have to be able to work together to see the kind of sweeping reform that is needed for us to thrive. There is nothing wrong with being progressive or conservative. What is wrong is how far you are willing to take your views just to see your side win instead of the country winning.

I read this book not just the sobering facts that it presented, but with the hope that all of us should have when it comes to the country and what is still possible. I, like Gar, believe that America's best days can still be in front of us. What we have to learn to do, however, is get bi-partisanship more involved in the decision-making and not allow our egos and rigid thinking destroy us or any chance for recovery.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars ypf_review January 21, 2012

By Malcum Little

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Fine collection of alternative methods of economic development instead of following the same old neoclassical capitalist model. Richly described examples of things occurring beneath the mainstream media's radar yet viable on small to moderate scale by factual existence and providing plausible choices for large scale deployment if and when the opportunity comes nationally. Makes the excellent connection between need for new institutions to promote community wealth acquisition, community stability and real democracy versus plutocracy. A very worthy read!