Michael Albert

Unlike Susan George or George Monbiot, Michael Albert does not defend capitalism . In his book, Parecon - Life after Capitalism he states that he wants to get rid of it entirely and replace it with a different, more just, equitable and efficient system without private property and exploitation. He calls this system parecon - a participatory economy.

Attacking global capitalism for "producing poverty, ill health, shortened life spans, reduced quality of life and ecological collapse", Albert asks the question: "What specific global exchange norms and institutions would do better than that what we currently endure?"

He says we should replace the imperialist institutions of the IMF, World Bank and WTO with "an International Asset Agency, a Global Investment Assistance Agency and a World Trade Agency" which would work to attain core values of parecon, equity, solidarity, diversity, self-management and ecological balance.

His vision is one in which the private ownership of the means of production - the businesses, factories, mines and farms where the wealth of society is produced - is abolished. Instead the productive assets of society are owned equally by all.

Under parecon our world will no longer be controlled by the decisions made in the board rooms of the global corporations. No longer will have to make do with electing corrupt and unrepresentative politicians to purportedly democratic institutions which ignore the will of the majority and only rule in the interest of the rich and powerful. In its place we will have a world administered by democratic councils. Workers' councils will administer every workplace "in which each worker has the same overall decision making rights and responsibilities as every other." ...

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