[lbo-talk] Parecon Discussion...

Michael Albert sysop at ZMAG.ORG
Mon Sep 22 16:56:49 PDT 2003


My name is Michael Albert. I was on Doug's radio show on Pacifica a short time ago and he mentioned this list and the possibilty of augmenting the show with a discussion here. I said I would be happy to do so, if there is interest and questions or comments...and he has now set me up on the system.

I must say there is a lot of traffic. I can't possibly engage with more than a small part, no matter how tempting... But I will try to relate to any parecon related content, at least for a time.

So -- if anyone has anything that he or she would like to ask or to offer about, parecon...feel free.

I guess I should say, for anyone who might be interested but might also feel a bit in the dark about what parecon even is -- parecon is an economic system offered as an alternative to both capitalism and to what has gone under the name socialism, heretofore.

As its core values parecon celebrates and seeks to advance diversity, solidarity, equity, self-management, and efficiency at meeting needs and developing potentials. It is a classless economic vision, as a result. The meaning of diversity and solidarity are pretty self evident for leftists, I think. Equity, in parecon, means remuneration for effort and sacrifice save in cases where one can't work or otherwise needs special income. Self management, in parecon, means people having influence over decisions in proportion as they are affected by them. Efficiency means attaining sought ends -- in this case meeting needs and developing potentials -- without wasting valued assets or incurring unaccounted harmful effects.

To accomplish these broad aims parecon settles on some key defining institutions. Like any economic system, around and beyond those defining structures there is tremendous leeway. But at the heart of parecon there are workers and consumers councils and federations of councils, remuneration for effort and sacrifice, balanced job complexes, self managing decision making methods, and what is called participatory planning (with various features of its own) in place of both markets and central planning.

The system is an economy only. A desirable society would obviously have political, cultural, kinship, and other dimensions as well, obviously equally important.

But parecon is a proposed vision for the economy -- values and institutions -- to replace what we now endure.



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list