Alternatives to capitalism

Continuing this post, this article highlights some alternatives (see the link) following this description of the new story:

"Instead of trying to reassemble the broken pieces of the old order, progressives would be better off developing a new vision more suited to our times. There are already a number of projects that dare to imagine what a fairer, eco-friendly, post-growth economy might look like. [...] What is needed now are bold projects that attempt to demonstrate, rather than merely conceptualize, effective solutions."

"The 'commons sector,' as I call this bricolage of projects and movements, is a world of DIY [do it yourself] experimentation and open-source ethics that holds itself together not through coercion or profiteering but through social collaboration, resourceful creativity, and sweat equity, often with the help of digital platforms. Its fruits can be seen in cooperatives, locally rooted food systems, alternative currencies, community land trusts, and much else.

"While these insurgent projects are fragmentary and do not constitute a movement in the traditional sense, they tend to share basic values and goals: production for household needs, not market profit; decision-making that is bottom-up, consensual, and decentralized; and stewardship of shared wealth for the long term. They reject the standard ideals of economic development and a return on shareholder investment, emphasizing instead community self-determination and the mutualization of benefits."


"The animating ideals of the commons are collective emancipation and the 'pre-distribution' of benefits by giving people direct ownership and control over discrete chunks of land, water, infrastructure, housing, public space, and online services. With greater equity stakes and opportunities for self-governance, people are remarkably eager to contribute to their communities, whether local or digital. They welcome an escape from consumerism, exploitative markets, and remote bureaucracies. These sorts of local and regional experiments not only advance effective structural solutions at a time when national politics is dysfunctional; they also provide meaningful ways for ordinary people to become agents of change themselves."