Today, a non academic post.
Twenty years ago I read Schweickart's "Against Capitalism" and it changed my life. Not only because it was a rational and extended deliberation about a possible democratic socialist system, but mainly due to the technique that Schweickart used to defuse typical capitalist arguments about profit distribution. His approach was analytical and methodical. After demolishing the philosophical principles of capitalism he compared it to his model of market socialism, called "Economic Democracy".
Richard Wolff hits differently. He is one of the mainstream proponents of worker ownership and participation. In a small book intended for general audiences he develops his system, but similarly to Schweickart the interesting part comes before the utopia. Wolff utilizes at least half of his book to explain the fall from grace of the American working class. Sadly he gets bogged down in adulation of the then fashionable "Occupy" movement (yes, we are old now), but his main points still stand: a confluence of progressive movements and capitalists scared of the Soviet menace allowed Franklin Delano Roosevelt to implement economic measures known as The New Deal.
Schweickart used analytical and philosophical tools useful for debate, Wolff instead displayed socioeconomic and political history to prove how social movements coming together at the right time can change history. From the late 1930s until the 1970s the American working class enjoyed unprecedented and continuous improvements in their quality of life, with Keynesian anti-cyclical measures, high taxation of the rich, and powerful worker unions. When the neocon finally defeated Keynesianism families found a temporary solution in the increase of the participation of women in the labor market. Two incomes instead of one. Gen X kids grew up by themselves, while mom and dad toiled at work. Nine to Five. Two adults working meant the rise of other costs: two cars, more children who needed savings for future college, etc. And then, it was not even enough anymore. Sadly the book stops there, but we know what many of these families did later in 2016: they voted for the right wing populist that promised to bring jobs back to the country, Donald Trump.
The second part centers on his worker participation system, shortly explained. Since he addresses the general public he must separate his socialism from history; he defines 20th century "socialist" regimes as "State Capitalism". And I agree with him, for me socialism implies that the workers participate in the profits. His system is boilerplate (micro) market socialism, we all know the drill, but strangely he divides workers in two: the productive workers that are directly engaged in production of goods and services and "enabler" workers that are indirectly related to the production effort: the cleaners, managers, salesmen, etc. He considers the productive workers as the main constituency in workplace democracy. I think that he is wrong. Everybody adds value in the company.
What conclusion can we take from Wolff? That change is political and depends on institutions implemented by the timely convergence of different movements with dissimilar interests. That it can be done and that the consequences are significant and multi-generational. And that certain changes, if not deep enough, are reversible in the span of a few years.
The book is short, well written and direct. It is worth a read.
Democracy at Work:Wolff's website:
https://www.democracyatwork.info/
Added to Accumulated Bibliography: (press to access)
