Political Ideas                         Discussion project:  Which Socialism?

The model of socialism represented by the Soviet Union and its satellites seems to be in utter disrepute.  We have discussed several more recent ideas about what a socialist society could or should be.  Your job is to choose what you think is the best version (and to explain why you think it is the best). 

The choices:

1.  European Social Democracy (Described in Heyward)

 a.  A mixed economy, with most firms privately owned.

b.  Regulation to protect workers and consumers and stabilize the overall economy.

c.  Generous social safety-net programs (retirement benefits, unemployment insurance, disability insurance, etc.) and free public services (education, health, etc.) financed by progressive taxation.

2.  Market Socialism (Described in John Roemer’s article)

a.  All firms are publically owned (with every citizen possessing an equal share and entitled to an equal share of the profits), but competing in a (relatively) free market.

b.  Regulation, safety-net and public services as above.

3.  Participatory Economics - Council Communism (Described in the article by Albert and Hahnel)

 a.  No market at all.

b.  Economic activity coordinated through a participatory, bottom-up planning process, where worker managed firms negotiate a plan with neighborhood-based consumer cooperatives

c.  Rewards tied to effort as measured by hours worked

d.  All jobs ‘balanced’ to include  fair share of ‘grunt’ work and of creative/managerial work.