WHAT IS POSTCAPITALISM?
This page offers a (very, very) short introduction to postcapitalism. Once you’ve finished here, the “Videos” and “Reading List” pages contain more in-depth information. (And, more importantly, pictures of robots, drones and, um, a whole lot of lecterns.)
THE ISSUE //
As anyone with ambitions other than living as a hermit (or who doesn’t possess a unique gift for kleptomania) will tell you, capitalism can still very much be described as “a thing”.
Some people think the move to postcapitalism will be inevitable due to the laws of economics; others believe a postcapitalist system must be designed to deliberately correct the flaws of the current system.
The most optimistic scenario: a future society “in which work is eliminated, scarcity replaced by abundance, and where labour and leisure blend into one another,” according to author and journalist Aaron Bastani.
But there are many other possible outcomes if we don’t make the right choices: the continued destruction of the environment, democracies hijacked by corporate power, on-going financial instability, and future generations living in constant peril.
Oh, and before we forget, the super-rich living like movie villains/feudal barons on militarized compounds in New Zealand. (There’s something for New Zealand to look forward to.)
BIG PROBLEMS //
Not all postcapitalists agree on what should come next. But most believe a clear set of problems can be associated with present-day capitalism:
- ecological degradation;
- rising inequality;
- relying on abstract economic models;
- corporate dominance of politics;
- the spread of markets into every area of life;
- privatizing profits as the public pays for corporate failure;
- decreasing strength of trade unions;
- the erosion of workplace rights;
- problems of health and wellbeing;
- Kraft Singles (no viable system can lead to a single person in the world calling that “cheese”).
SIGNS OF CHANGE //
Some of the causes for optimism about moving towards a positive form of postcapitalism are said to include:
- the rise of progressive politicians;
- a new emphasis on “degrowth” economics;
- movements like Extinction Rebellion;
- powerful connective technologies;
- the falling cost of goods;
- shifts towards a post-work economy;
- evolving attitudes due to COVID-19;
- economic solutions like cryptocurrencies and universal basic income;
- the development of cooperative business models;
- declining sales of Kraft Singles (you need to take hope where you can find it).
A BETTER FUTURE //
The potential interaction and impact of these trends are subject to disagreement, just as the prospects for capitalism and postcapitalism are.
Achieving real change, though, will depend on talking about these issues, and using our collective imagination to make a better world (and, ideally, better cheese) for everyone.
And that is the main goal of the Postcapitalism Podcast.