economics isn't completely wrong. People do respond to incentives, and
people do want to improve their lives. I'm not offering proof, just
speaking from (just barely) 30 years of experience. This is my opinion,
but everything I've seen supports this hypothesis.
And I don't see how this notion is somehow incompatible with socialism.
my family immigrated from the soviet union back in 1980, so whenever i discuss this stuff with them i always hear about how the problem with communism (soviet style) was that lots and lots of people had no incentive to do or be anything more than drunk. whenever talking about socialism they point to that experience to tell me why it would not work.
the argument that i see always bandied about when discussing socialism is that it will kill the human impulse for self improvement and growth.
socialism needs to be reframed to mean that it will promote people's incentive to do and be more and to lead more fulfilling lives.