Post capitalism
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Post capitalism
Post capitalism is a state in which the economic systems of the world can no longer be described as forms of capitalism.
The thing that keeps the capitalism alive today is the economic and pollical system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state who
are not after profit. Post capitalism is any hypothetical economic system proposed as a future replacement for capitalism.
The opposite of a capitalist state would be a communist state. Communism however, has a taunted name because of the failed attempts in history. The political leaders that took advantages and too much power in these communist countries are not forgotten. However, we should not forget the context of the first trial. During the cold war there was a huge competition and pressure between east and west, communism vs capitalism. One of the reasons communism failed is because communist leaders gave in to this battle and tried to ‘win’ by growing and gaining economically as much as the west. The system was not built like this and economic and political power was not in balance anymore.
Western people all learn about this in history class and see capitalism as a system doomed to fail.
It failed back then so it won’t work nowadays. But this doesn’t mean we should just go on with our capitalist lifestyles and wait for another solution.
I would describe post capitalism as a world where we aim for political and economic balance. This balance would ensure as much equality as possible. A system with public goods available for everyone and creating equal opportunities for every citizen. I think post capitalism searches for a state where there is political and economic democracy. It is as wrong for billionaires to have as much economic power as oppressor politicians would. In a post capitalist world both politics and economics should redistribute their power. It is a system where millionaires and billionaires could not exist.
Some options to create more economic democracy:
No private schooling.
Creates a gap between rich and poor. Makes people feel unnecessarily better than the other.
An ascending tax system.
Where the rich pay more taxes for public needs.
Public budgeting.
Where the budget of the government (taxes) are openly discussed and voted for where the money should go.
Higher inheritance taxes.
Losing more/all your money when you die, leaving no inheritance for your children but only for the world. Creates less inequality from the start of a life.
A living wage for all workers.
So no people can become rich by keeping others poor.
I think the most thorough and therefore maybe most effective system would be an UBI, Universal base income. This is a system where every citizen would receive a monthly income from the government, enough to sustain themselves without working. Within this system you break the link between income and employment. Creating more time for people to really flourish, do work they enjoy doing and are good at. Some people might stop working but studies and surveys have shown most people would keep working. Not so hard to believe as one of the six basic human needs is personal growth.
The topic of post capitalism relates to loads of other topics discussed in our reading group as some are systems and solutions to the problem of our capitalist economic system. Degrowth and a steady state economy is needed to redistribute our economic wealth. Profit is not the answer in a post capitalist world. Also a system of commons relates to a possible post capitalist world. A system in which we share products and facilities creates more economic equality. If these systems are part of our government it would rule out the need for profit and therefore eliminates companies and people becoming too wealthy.
These systems however would only work with a government that totally approves of it and ensure fair rules and guidelines.
Fictions of sustainability, the politics of growth and a post-capitalist future by Boris Frankel.
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