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Realizing Hope: Life beyond Capitalism

by Michael Albert (Goodreads Author)

3.31 of 5 stars 3.31 · rating details · 13 ratings · 3 reviews

"What is the alternative to capitalist globalization?" is a question challenging activists around the world. Michael Albert has wrestled with this question for many years, and his answer has captured the imagination of many. Participatory Economics--"Parecon" for short--is Albert's proposal for an economic system which offers a real alternative to capitalism, built on fami...more

Paperback, 256 pages

Published April 4th 2006 by Zed Books (first published 2006)

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Mar 12, 2013 Billie Pritchett rated it 3 of 5 stars

Michael Albert's Realizing Hope illustrates different ways in which in a post-capitalist future people could work to promote a world that values, as the mantra goes, solidarity, equity, diversity, and self-management. This book is sort of a sequel to Parecon and continues that logic. The basic idea of Parecon is that there is an alternative to a capitalist economy and that is a democratically controlled economy: a participatory economy, or "parecon." People would decide in councils and councils...more Michael Albert's Realizing Hope illustrates different ways in which in a post-capitalist future people could work to promote a world that values, as the mantra goes, solidarity, equity, diversity, and self-management. This book is sort of a sequel to Parecon and continues that logic. The basic idea of Parecon is that there is an alternative to a capitalist economy and that is a democratically controlled economy: a participatory economy, or "parecon." People would decide in councils and councils of councils the ways in which they would like to organize their economy regarding the kind of work they would like to do and the kinds of products they would like to produce and consume. Realizing Hope extends this view of an economy to an ideal political system; kinship and communal relations; international arrangements; the environment; issues related to science and technology, education, and art; and a few others.

Albert's book implies that in a world with a democratically controlled economy, a political system will be organized similar to the economy in different councils will vote on public policy and only insofar as those councils would be affected by the public policy. Kinship and communal relations would be diverse and freedom for a variety of different ways of living would be promoted. Internationally "parecons" would be charitable but wise in its giving of loans and support and trade with other parecons and non-parecons, although the issue isn't quite worked out. And in general, Albert tries to establish, this basic change in orientation of the economy and political system toward a promotion of solidarity, equity, diversity, and self-management would make for a more just world.

As I said about the book Parecon, I am skeptical of grand theories regarding how a political system or economy ought to be organized since it might be that any political or economic system implemented from scratch will eventually turn out not to have properly encountered for all the different things that could go wrong or may change as a system takes its course. And at any rate, it is probably better to try to make one's economy or society or political system or what have you better and more just piecemeal regarding key issues and problems that one seeks to rectify. Lord knows there's enough problems to be addressed.

Whatever the case, even if Albert were right and a democratically controlled economy would be the best form of economy, and if it would be true that a political system that is democratically controlled would be best, it would have been more interesting, to me at least, to have seen Albert spell out in this book what he thinks a real, concrete program could be with regard how in different areas of life people could begin to slowly but surely implement the systems. It seems to me, for instance, that regarding parenting and community, the best way to promote solidarity, equity, diversity, and self-management is to show those things. To be concrete, parents could mutually encourage cultural practices and rituals that make home life seem more sacred (solidarity), allow for an equal exchange of ideas and compensation for kindnesses toward one another through gifts or verbal appreciation (equity), let one another explore differences in lifestyles provided it is democratically agreed the differences would be more beneficial to the individual and the family and to seriously consider such issues (diversity), and let people decide for themselves and express their opinions unadulteratedly and manage their own lives, so long as they confer benefit on themselves and one another (self-management). I mean, I know this sounds saccharine but if someone really believes in these values then something like this is what a different family relationship would look like. Anyway...(less)

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Apr 12, 2011 Andrew rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a really interesting read by the guy who edits Z Magazine and started the whole Z political universe. It was my first introduction to Parecon, or participatory economics, which seeks to envision an alternate economic base that avoids the pitfalls and oppressions of both capitalism and Soviet-style bureaucracy and central planning. Or as he says: "Parecon is a vision of the economic structures of a new post-capitalist and post-coordinator [his term for the class of people in state social...more

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Sep 27, 2007 Javier rated it 2 of 5 stars

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Rather unimpressive.

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About Michael Albert

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads' database with this name. See this thread for more information.

American activist, speaker, and writer. He is co-editor of ZNet, and co-editor and co-founder of Z Magazine. He also co-founded South End Press and has written numerous books and articles. He developed along with Robin Hahnel the economic vision called participatory econom...more

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Books by Michael Albert

Looking Forward: Participatory Economics for the Twenty First Century

Remembering Tomorrow: From SDS to Life After Capitalism: A Memoir

Moving Forward: Program for a Participatory Economy

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