the positive critique

[Max Sawicky]

. . .
I have suggested a different alternative, market socialism--roughly, public
ownership of the means of production, worker self-management in industry,
and market competition among production units.  This alternative moots the
question of how to retain the advantages of markets by keeping them. It
shifts the challege back to Brad and other defenders of capitalism to
explain to us exactly what it is that capitalists do that is so necessary
that we have to let them privately own productive assets. Brad, your
urn.  -jks

Not quite I think.  Many objections to capitalism
could also apply to market socialism.  I think the
latter would probably be an improvement, but how
much is open to grave doubt.  I think you need to
say something about the purported benefits.

For instance, there is no reason why the crises
envisioned by Marx could not occur under MS.
Instead of accumulation driven by individuals,
you have it driven by groups.  If capital is
owned external to the enterprise, you have to
go some way to define the sort of ownership
that is implied and note the horrendous problem
of how capital is allocated and accumulated in
that setting.  In this sense, "market socialism"
is a question masquerading as an answer.

mbs