The market-less society

[Max Sawicky]

. . . It is hard to escape the impression that
this is precisely why American intellectuals, particularly those who believe
themselves to be the most wild-eyed radicals, willing to deconstruct almost
any concept except greed or selfishness, simply don't know what to make of
the Maussians - why, in fact, their work has been almost completely ignored.
[David Graeber is a professor of anthropology at Yale University.]

There is an American analogue to this school of thought --
Kenneth Boulding, in books like The Economy of Love and
Fear.  He used to hang out w/Vickrey at AEA conferences.
He looked like Timothy Leary, Vickrey of course looked
like he used a rope for a belt.  I regret passing up the
chance to hang out with them.  I never investigated
Boulding; always meant to, just never got around to it.

More recently, on a different tack above, the $20K idea
surfaces in different form in The Stakeholder Society
by Bruce Ackerman and Anne Alstott.  Basically it
contemplates aggressive redistribution through cash
transfers, rather than the use of government services
like job training, counselling, etc.  Call it low-
overhead liberalism.

mbs