An Alternative Model: Economic Democracy

Ever wonder what economic democracy would look like? This was a lecture given last week by Union Theological Seminary and Colombia University professor, Dr. Gary Dorrien. In it, he lays out an alternative yet pragmatic model to the current neoliberal capitalism which seems to have gotten us into a lot of trouble lately.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• economic policy
• neoliberalism capitalism
• social democracy
• economic democracy
• current crisis
• financial crisis
• bailouts

[gendertrouble]

Why aren't more people talking about this as a real alternative?

[nc2399]

Buzz, I disagree. Check out his comments in the other part to this video - The Crisis and Too Many... And anyone digging ditches and/or working construction would tell you how the labor they are providing is not squarely met with equivalent cash. The working class's pov is that their labor is underpaid, and instead contributing to someone else's profit, something I would guess Professor Dorrien shares in common with the working men and women of any profession.

[GodOfTheInternets]

@AroundSun

st, st, st, strawmaaaan.

[GodOfTheInternets]

@Tuuliska

Economic democracy is the core value of socialism. A better word for economic democracy is workers' self-management. Economic democracy or self-management requires that those who work in a workplace own it--i.e. collective ownership.

Cooperatives were the first socialist movement.

[davidlkendall]

@gendertrouble Plenty of people are talking and writing about Economic Democracy. You simply aren't paying much attention.The greatest break-through for Economic Democracy would be for people like us to wake up and take responsibility for ourselves and our communities. Get over yourself. The American Dream and the American middle-class are predictable casualties of American capitalism. If we want economic stability, we will begin now to create new jobs for our American neighbors.

[AroundSun]

@Tuuliska "No. Firstly, socialism isn't like that."

Yes it is

"He's talking about an alternative to both socialism and the current form of capitalism"

there isn't one. you either have a free market or you don't

Co-ops can exist in free markets. If you are talking about Noam Chomsky economics then look the other way. Chomsky is a drone.

[Tuuliska]

If I got it right here, isn't he saying that you wouldn't have to stop private corporations and businesses from existing? So what the hell is the problem then? If you don't like cooperatives, then go work for or found a private business. Isn't the point that you can CHOOSE which one you want? Not to overthrow the other. And isn't that what's already happening? All you need is more cooperatives so that people will know about that possibility and have it in their community.

[Tuuliska]

@AroundSun No. Firstly, socialism isn't like that. Secondly, what he talks about is NOT socialism. He's talking about an alternative to both socialism and the current form of capitalism. In fact this is more like another form of capitalism. I'd say "new form of capitalism" but in fact it's not new at all, it's been used for decades in many places in the world. Search Google for cooperatives and you'll find how it works. And check out North Dakota for an example of a successful state bank.

[AroundSun]

oh, does this guy mean SOCIALISM? Like........voting yourself your neighbors wealth? Yea, lets see how long that system lasts and just how successful it is. fucking morons

[AroundSun]

@gendertrouble because a free market IS a democracy. millions of people vote on the quality and prices of goods and services EVERYDAY. this guy doesn't really explain anything new.

[bouligab]

@truevoice08

Workers can save money only if they already receive a sufficient share of total income, which is happening less and less.

And anyway, that's not the point: making an investment as an anonymous investor doesn't grant you control over the means of production, it just makes you an investor whose sole benefit is to grab the largest part of income you can, thereby repeating the scheme of exploitation, externalization of costs and overexploitation of the environment.

[truevoice08]

@DinodudeEpic I know. And that's why I'm a capitalist.