This volume advocates pragmatic market socialism and offers a penetrating critique of the entire range of capitalist apologetics. As James A. Yunker envisions it, pragmatic market socialism would virtually duplicate the everyday economic functions of market capitalist economies, such as the United States' economy. However, public ownership of large, established corporations would enable profits to be distributed among the entire labor force rather than going largely to a class of inheriting rentiers. Pragmatic market socialism would be a means of enhancing economic justice and fairness without sacrificing the efficiency advantages of free enterprise and the market economy. Yunker presents both theoretical and empirical evidence countering various widely-accepted justifications for capitalism. He argues that much of what passes for anti-socialist thought does not actually address socialism at all but rather the various adverse historical correlates of socialism such as the Communist one-party state, Soviet-style central planning, and the Scandinavian welfare state. This book will be of great interest to economists specializing in comparative economic systems to political scientists with an interest in the evolution of political/economic systems.

This book blends real-world history, intellectual history, and personal history into a compelling case for a new way of thinking about such highly controversial—and highly misunderstood—concepts as market socialism, a Global Marshall Plan, and world government. It argues that, if properly designed according to clear and specific blueprints, all three of these possibilities would indeed greatly benefit humanity if they were fully implemented. The book puts a human face on these proposals by documenting their origin and development through a detailed account of the author’s professional efforts over a long and productive academic career. This story of steadfast determination in the face of steep odds will resonate deeply with every person who has nourished a vision that is commonly dismissed as excessively idealistic and unrealistic.

This volume advocates pragmatic market socialism and offers a penetrating critique of the entire range of capitalist apologetics. As James A. Yunker envisions it, pragmatic market socialism would virtually duplicate the everyday economic functions of market capitalist economies, such as the United States' economy. However, public ownership of large, established corporations would enable profits to be distributed among the entire labor force rather than going largely to a class of inheriting rentiers. Pragmatic market socialism would be a means of enhancing economic justice and fairness without sacrificing the efficiency advantages of free enterprise and the market economy. Yunker presents both theoretical and empirical evidence countering various widely-accepted justifications for capitalism. He argues that much of what passes for anti-socialist thought does not actually address socialism at all but rather the various adverse historical correlates of socialism such as the Communist one-party state, Soviet-style central planning, and the Scandinavian welfare state. This book will be of great interest to economists specializing in comparative economic systems to political scientists with an interest in the evolution of political/economic systems.

Is socialism an impossible, discredited dream or the only realistic path for human survival? If you're not sure of the answer, or are just curious about what the Left really believes in, you need to read Maass. He's the Tom Paine of the contemporary American left." --Mike Davis, author of Planet of Slums "This is a vivid, fluent and rare book about socialism for those uninterested in tracts and excited by new prospects." --John Pilger, author of Freedom Next Time Growing numbers of people are disgusted by the disaster of poverty, war, oppression, and environmental destruction caused by global capitalism. But is there an alternative? Author Alan Maass argues that socialism—a democratically planned economy based on workers’ control—is rational, necessary, and possible. With an afterword by Howard Zinn. Alan Maass is the editor of the website SocialistWorker.org.

Andrei Znamenski argues that socialism arose out of activities of secularized apocalyptic sects, the Enlightenment tradition, and dislocations produced by the Industrial Revolution. He examines how, by the 1850s, Marx and Engels made the socialist creed “scientific” by linking it to “history laws” and inventing the proletariat—the “chosen people” that were to redeem the world from oppression. Focusing on the fractions between social democracy and communism, Znamenski explores why, historically, socialism became associated with social engineering and centralized planning. He explains the rise of the New Left in the 1960s and its role in fostering the cultural left that came to privilege race and identity over class. Exploring the global retreat of the left in the 1980s–1990s and the “great neoliberalism scare,” Znamenski also analyzes the subsequent renaissance of socialism in wake of the 2007–2008 crisis.

Economic democracy is essential for creating a truly democratic political sphere. This engaging book uses Marxist theory to hypothesise that capitalism is not a democratic system, and that a modern socialist system of producer cooperatives and democratically managed enterprises is urgently needed. A New Model of Socialismfocuses on the current crisis of the political Left, a result of the collapse of the Soviet model of society and the decline of statism and kingship. Bruno Jossa expands on existing theories to explore Marx?s notions on economic democracy in a modern setting. He advocates a move away from the centralised planning form of economic socialism towards a self-management system for firms that does not prioritise the interests of one class over another, in order to achieve greater economic democracy. It is argued that the establishment of such a system of democratic firms is the precondition for reducing intervention in the economy, thus enabling the State to perform its ultimate function of serving the public interest. This timely book is ideal for advanced scholars of Marxist, radical and heterodox economic theory, as well as academics with an interest in the rise of socialism in our modern world. Indeed, it will also be of value to all those seeking a viable and practical alternative to existing capitalist and socialist thinking.