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A Better World is Possible!: Alternative to both Capitalism and to Centrally-Planned Communism, July 5, 2009
This review is from: Moving Forward: Program for a Participatory Economy (Paperback)
In my early years as an anti-capitalist, I experienced despair because of the negative outcomes in centrally planned "communist" countries. I knew capitalism was causing tons of suffering all over the world, but it seemed that nations which utilized central-planning style "communism" also caused tons of suffering. Was a better world impossible?
Then a friend told me about Parecon (abbreviation of participatory economics) and my life changed.
Finally, here is a viable alternative economic system! And it is described in explicit detail. It's not just a bunch of empty rhetoric about how we should have an economy based on equity, classlessness, non-hierarchy, participatory democracy, self-management, etc. It is a specific and detailed map of how such an economy can operate.
Unlike capitalism, parecon is equitable and non-exploitative. Unlike centrally-planned communism, parecon is democratically planned and non-hierarchal.
Parecon has many supporters amongst anarchists and libertarian-communists, because it is a vision for an economic system which embodies many of the ideals of anarchism and libertarian-communism - values such as those mentioned earlier: equity, classlessness, non-hierarchy, participatory democracy, and self-management. However, the Parecon is not officially affiliated with any particular political orientation. Even if you don't know what anarchism or libertarian-communism means you can still understand and appreciate Parecon on its own terms.
Parecon also has a political vision to accompany it, parpolity (abbreviation of participatory polity), conceived of by political science professor Stephen R. Shalom. And then there is also parsoc (abbreviation of participatory society) which is a vision for a fully participatory society, addressing issues of economics, politics, "race" and culture, gender and kinship, etc. (See:
Real Utopia: Participatory Society for the 21st Century)
This particular book, "Moving Forward: Program for a Participatory Economy", explains Parecon thoroughly and in a way that the average person can understand. There is also a book on Parecon written for those who have studied economics and have a good understanding of economic jargon and mathematics:
The Political Economy of Participatory Economics. This is a good book for economists who want a more scientific explanation of how Parecon works.
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