"This book offers by far the most serious, intellectually grounded strategy for system-changing yet to appear. It could be the most important movement-building book of the new century..."
—Daniel Ellsberg, author of Secrets: A Memoir of Vietnam and the Pentagon PapersAvailable now from Chelsea Green Publishing
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"Concrete and feasible ways to reverse the ominous course of the past several decades and to open the way to a vibrant democracy with a sustainable economy… A marvelous book…I recommend it all the time"
—Noam Chomsky
"Highly readable; excellent for students…. A tonic and eye-opener for anyone who wants a politics that works."
—Jane Mansbridge, President-Elect, American Political Science Association, Adams Professor, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
"This book opens an extraordinary new vista on the moral bankruptcy of our second Gilded Age."
—Bill MoyersRecently Posted
- Gar and Martin Sherwin in the LA Times: “U.S. leaders knew we didn’t have to drop atomic bombs on Japan to win the war. We did it anyway”
- 75th anniversary of the US atomic bombing of Japan: A discussion
- A conversation with Gar Alperovitz and John McKnight
- Gar interviewed in openDemocracy
- Read Gar’s new essay, “Building a Democratic Economy: Sketch of a Pluralist Commonwealth”
- Gar Alperovitz Keynote Address to at Bioneers 2018: Why We Need a Next System—And How to Get There
- Gar Alperovitz on What Will Replace Corporate Capitalism in the US
- Centrist Think Tanks Won’t Save Our Cities
- Gar Alperovitz, Historian and Professor of Political Economy Oberlin
- Listen to Gar Alperovitz on Corporations and Democracy
- The New Economy and the Quietly Emerging Next System with Gar Alperovitz
- Black Monday, ’77, When the Mill Shutdown in Youngstown Gave Birth to the Rust Belt
- Democratic Ownership and the Pluralist Commonwealth: The Creation of an Idea Whose Time Has Come
- Pluralism vs. Authoritarianism: Gar Alperovitz with Laura Flanders
- Principles of a Pluralist Commonwealth
- Gar Alperovitz on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour
- Gar Alperovitz on Forthright Radio
- Progressive Visions: The Pluralist Commonwealth
- C-Span BookTV: Principles of a Pluralist Commonwealth
- Gar Alperovitz, co-founder, Democracy Collaborative, and co-chair, The Next System Project, speaks with Diane Horn about buying out the fossil fuel industry to address climate change
Get in touch
Upcoming events
September 2013 – April 2017
Sep9MonSep 9 @ 6:00 pmSep11WedSep 11 @ 7:15 pmSponsored by Progressive Neighbors and co-sponsored by the Montgomery County Young Democrats.
Sep29SunSep 29 @ 2:00 pmIn conversation with Lester Spence and Jamie Raskin, and moderated by Marc Steiner.
Co-sponsored by Red Emma’s Radical Bookfair Pavilion.
Oct10ThuOct 10 @ 4:00 pmPublic lecture organized by PERI (Political Economy Research Institute).
Oct11FriOct 11 @ 7:30 pmOn Friday evening, October 11, 2013, political economist Gar Alperovitz will give a talk at the John Dewey Academy at Searles Castle in Great Barrington titled:
“The Next America: The Emerging New Direction as the Old Order Decays”
The talk begins at 7:30 PM, followed by questions from the audience, and a book signing. Tickets are five dollars or five BerkShares. Because of limited seating, pre-registration is required.
To reserve tickets, send an email to schumacher@centerforneweconomics.org with Gar Alperovitz in the subject line. Provide your name, address, email, and number of tickets you wish to have held in your name. You will receive a confirming email. Or call the Schumacher Center for a New Economics at 413 528 1737.
Payment for tickets will be at the door. Tickets will be held until 7:20 PM.
The John Dewey Academy is located at Searles Castle, 389 Main Street, Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The talk by Gar Alperovitz is co-sponsored by BerkShares, Community Land Trust in the Southern Berkshires, and the Southern Berkshires Community Development Corporation.
For more information contact:
Schumacher Center for a New Economics
140 Jug End Road
Great Barrington, MA 01230
schumacher@centerforneweconomics.org
centerfornewecconomics.org
Nov21ThuNov 21 @ 12:00 pmJan23ThuJan 23 all-dayJan24FriJan 24 – Jan 25 all-daySponsored by the University United Methodist Church and Cooperation Texas
Apr3ThuApr 3 – Apr 4 all-daySocial Transformation through Social Innovation
La transformation sociale par l’innovation sociale
4th CRISES International Conference
Centre de recherche sur les innovations sociales (CRISES)
(Center for research on social innovations)
Dates: April 3 and 4, 2014
Place: Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Languages: French and English
Opening address: Enzo Mingione, University of Milan-Bicocca
Confirmed keynote speakers: Gar Alperovitz, Luiz Inácio Gaiger, Florence Jany-Catrice, Jean-Louis Laville, Benoît Lévesque, Frank Moulaert, Marthe Nyssens and Bernard Pecqueur
CALL FOR PAPERS
There is a common consensus that we are currently undergoing an unprecedented period of rapid changes that are affecting our relation to time, space and society as a whole. Economic, social and institutional crises, along with political disinterest, growing inequalities and loss of meaning are combining to create a toxic climate marked by a loss of reference points and overall disenchantment. However, many people see in this a period of transition and an opportunity for renewal. For them, the crises give rise to a second modernity and a dynamic of innovation and transformation. From that perspective, the current disruptions, far from pushing civil society toward apathy, are taken as an opportunity to introduce social transformations that aim to redefine society on more solidarity-based, equitable, ethical, ecological and civic-minded terms.
In that context, the challenge for the social sciences consists of identifying not only the failures but also the new avenues and opportunities that are emerging. Through its research on social innovation, aligned with this perspective, the CRISES research centre seeks to understand the social reconstruction driven by the emergence of socially innovative developments at the micro and macro levels, including the impacts of these experiences on the social transformations taking shape. By investigating the actors, structures, subjects and impacts of these developments at once, the analysis of social innovation will help to determine the capacity for initiative on the part of individuals, organizations, collectivities and social movements. These investigations will also shed light on the process of innovation transfer and the role of public policy in the dynamics of institutionalization that arise from this transfer. However, to meet these challenges, which are both social and scientific in nature, research on social innovation would have to adopt a cross-disciplinary perspective and specify its epistemological and methodological stance. Only in this way can it produce action-oriented knowledge and ensure that the normative and ideological foundations of innovation are made explicit. Such a process will allow to go beyond the discourse of those creating innovation in order to address the political issues that accompany the emergence of any social innovation, and which have a determining influence on its durability and potential for social transformation.
Social innovation is, by definition, a transgression of rules and standards that may lead to a transformation of the prevailing order. There thus exists a constant dialectic between innovation and institution. In that context, the state is called on to provide the necessary support to innovation by relaxing or adjusting its public policies and by offering increased access to financial and informational resources. In addition, it must give the actors greater autonomy to let them unfold their transformative potential and provide the latitude necessary for engagement in the innovation process. Further, for social innovation to become a carrier of social transformation, it must engage in two types of processes: one, a collective learning and creation process that allows individuals and communities to (re)empower themselves, and, two, an interaction between the actors concerned that makes room for dialogue and compromise,
so that innovation can evolve in a dynamic of path building. Under these conditions, social innovation can then become the key ingredient of an alternative development strategy that gives rise to new values (solidarity, equity, social justice). The many references to social innovation that are currently made—to the point where social innovation has become a widely used concept—demonstrate that social innovation is not simply a fleeting reflection of a transition, but very much a constituent part of a new model that promotes a culture of change. However, this evolution raises questions about the orientation of that change: Who (or what) will it benefit? How will it be implemented?
The proliferation of social innovations alone is not sufficient to generate a new development model. Rather, it is by the embeddedness of these innovations within a new way of seeing and solving problems that social innovations can eventually embody the emerging paradigm, providing it with experiences that reflect new societal concepts. The spinoffs from social innovations vary depending on the specific institutional frameworks prevailing in the different sectors and territories, and on the period concerned. All of these aspects are likely to be of interest to research and to drive the development of knowledge about social innovation and its place in the process of social transformation.
Sep15MonSep 15 @ 12:00 pm – 1:30 pmSep17WedSep 17 all-dayOct6MonOct 6 – Oct 9 all-dayThe Economics of Sustainability conference will focus on the intersection of Economics and the Environment.
What will the Earth look like in 2030, 2050, or 2100? Can we organize economic relationships to honor the carrying capacity of the Earth? Can we implement economic models that respect the Earth and its finite boundaries?
How will we mitigate the effects of climate change in a way that honors the Earth and puts people before profit?
Programs will include workshops, networking meetings, action groups, and outstanding presentations from economists, scientists, activists, and leaders in the environmental movement. The goal is to launch a platform for systemic change — economically, culturally, politically — and to network organizations for collaborative efforts in that pursuit.
Confirmed Speakers: Gar Alperovitz, Ellen Brown, Richard Heinberg, Michael Brune, Randy Hayes, Mark Hertsgaard, Mark Z. Jacobson, Mayor Gayle McLaughlin (Richmond, CA), David Korten, Andrew Kimbrell Janet Redmond, Jihan Gearon, Don Shaffer, Nikki Silvestri, Osprey Orielle Lake, George Lakoff, Georgia Kelly, Representatives from the Mondragon Cooperatives (Spain): Pio Aguirre, Michael Peck, and more!
Partner: Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN)
Co-Sponsors include RSF Social Finance, The Nation Magazine, YES! Magazine, Ethical Media Markets, Shift Network, Move to Amend, Firedoll Foundation, Appleby Foundation, Organic Valley, Pachamama Alliance, Presidio Graduate School, Straus Family Creamery, World Centric, and others being added.
Mar24TueMar 24 @ 8:30 am – 1:30 pmJun29WedJun 29 @ 10:00 amThe International Society for Ecological Economics 2016 Conference will be held this year at the University of the District of Columbia. This year, the conference tackles issues surrounding “Transforming the Economy: Sustaining Food, Water, Energy and Justice.” The plenary will feature distinguished speakers from across the globe spanning multiple disciplines to discuss the topic at hand. Gar Alperovitz will speak alongside Frances Moore Lappe’, author of Diet for a Small Planet and founder of the Small Planet Institute; Marina Silva, former Minister of Environment, and contender for the presidency of Brazil; Jairam Ramesh, former Minister of the Environment, who was recently reelected to the Upper House of the Indian Parliament. and more. To register, click here.
Sep23FriSep 23 @ 4:00 pm – 5:00 pmGar Alperovitz will speak alongside Jodie Evans on “Capitalism and transition to Peace Economy” at this weekend conference at American University in Washington, D.C.
Join us to learn about and engage in working on viable alternatives to war and militarism.
Friday and Saturday events will be livestreamed at TheRealNews.com and videos posted there within three days after. All events, including Sunday’s, may possibly be livestreamed by American University.
Oct6ThuOct 6 – Oct 8 all-dayDec1ThuDec 1 @ 7:30 pm – 9:00 pmDec5MonDec 5 @ 12:00 pm – 2:15 pmFeb6MonFeb 6 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pmApr13ThuApr 13 @ 2:30 pm – 4:00 pmGar Alperovitz, historian, political economist, activist, writer, and government official, will speak on Thursday, April 13 from 2:30-4 p.m. at the Lakeside Lodge at Stockton University. His lecture, “Donald Trump, The New Historical Era, and Emerging Trajectories of Longer Term Systemic Change,” will address where we find ourselves in history, why the time is right for a new-economy movement, what it means to build a new system and how we might begin.
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A SYSTEMIC ALTERNATIVE
What Then Can I Do? Ten Ways to Democratize the Economy
How do we build a more democratic, equal and ecologically sustainable society? What can one person do?
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