| > Post-capitalist approaches are therefore needed, The authors refuse to elaborate on this claim with specifics. Instead they provide generic statements such as > We need to actively plan to shift productive capacities away from capital accumulation and > To reclaim productive capacities for national development, governments need to use progressive industrial and fiscal policy, public works programmes... --- The first named author wrote an Editorial in the Guardian entitled "Forget 'developing' poor countries, it's time to 'de-develop' rich countries"[0]. I can see where this particular research(er) is headed and with all due respect, I have no interest in following it through to the eventual completion which he makes clear in his editorial in Montly Review (a self-described Socialist magazine) where he eventually comes to the conclusion that Capitalism has done nothing to raise people out of global poverty[1] > In sum, the narrative that the rise of capitalism drove progress against extreme poverty is not supported by empirical evidence. On the contrary, the rise of capitalism was associated with a notable decline in human welfare It's abundantly clear this is a preconceived outcome with a paper written around proving it ---- [0] https://www.theguardian.com/global-development-professionals.... [1] https://monthlyreview.org/2023/07/01/capitalism-global-pover... |
FWIW, I agree that capitalism has helped drive progress and increase human welfare in the past, but I no longer agree that it's currently raising human welfare, even if it's still helping to drive progress. I also think that what we have in the USA is not pure capitalism anyway and without acknowledging that, a real discussion will never be had. A form of socialism already exists here, and people seem to like it.