Category Archives: America Beyond Capitalism (Second Edition)

History is paradoxical: Our politics are stalemated, our economy stagnating. But precisely because of this, literally thousands of new social and economic initiatives suggest the possibility, over time, of literally rebuilding the system from the bottom up.

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By Maria Armoudian, originally posted at Truthout

It is not news that Americans overwhelming disapprove of the job Congress is doing. And likely, it’s not surprising that two-thirds of Americans told a London-based firm, Absolute Strategy Research, that they believed that the economic system in the US is not working for most Americans and is unfair. But might these beliefs signify something bigger? Scholar and author Gar Alperovitz believes that these phenomena, along with a widespread belief that people within this “democracy” have “almost no say in the government,” are signs that a system, such as our own, is in decay. But Alperovitz is not one to devote too much time and attention to complaints or worries. Rather, he is a visionary who sees that, through the cracks of a faltering system, opportunities - and truly profound opportunities - can and often do arise. And that is one of the central messages in “America Beyond Capitalism: Reclaiming our Wealth, Our Liberty, and our Democracy.”

Upon reading his hopeful treatise that sheds light on the possibility of an emerging new economy, big-picture questions arise: What would happen, for example, if the so-called 99 percent ignored the 1 percent and began to build a new economic model from the ground floor up? What if masses of people stopped trying to reform an increasingly unworkable system and instead focused on constructing an economy of shared institutions that were fundamentally fair, just, respectful and sustainable? Perhaps, as important as the questions, the fact that the answer is beginning to peak out from underneath the veneer is even more inspiring. This is one of the gifts in “America Beyond Capitalism.”

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Truthout has selected America Beyond Capitalism as this week’s “Progressive Pick”: for a small donation supporting a vital independent media project, you’ll receive a complimentary copy of the book.

“Gar Alperovitz isn’t your average ivory tower professor. He gets his hands right into the thick of building models for economic change. […] the creation of new just and equitable economic options are not just theoretical to Alperovitz. They are not utopian; they are within reach. Alperovitz emphasizes the importance of economic models built around communities rather than corporations.”

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