2017 / 1 - Great Transition Campaign

2017 / 1

Essay

Global Capitalism: Reflections on a Brave New World

June 2017

Capitalism is in the midst of an epochal shift: the emergence of a transnational economy and ruling class, and fledgling governance institutions. Taming the ruinous crises this shift carries will take a popular struggle that moves beyond reform to systemic transformation.

Roundtable

Global Capitalism

June 2017

An exchange on the essay “Global Capitalism: Reflections on a Brave New World” by William I. Robinson, with a response from the author. Featuring Tom Athanasiou, Gareth Dale, Herman Daly, Bill Fletcher Jr., Al Hammond, Jennifer Hinton, Dawn Paley, and Andrew Wright

Interview

Development for Whom?

Jayati Ghosh

June 2017

The conventional development model is failing the poor and the environment. An alternative model, rooted in a more holistic understanding of society, can deliver both shared prosperity and sustainability.

Essay

Sustainability and Well-Being: A Happy Synergy

Christopher Barrington-Leigh

April 2017

Conventional wisdom sees a conflict between human progress and ecological protection. But a new body of research on subjective well-being tells us to look again.

With commentary from Anamaria Aristizabal, Deric Gruen, Anders Hayden, Emily Huddart-Kennedy, Tim Kasser, Sylvia Lorek, Lucie Middlemiss, Tadhg O’Mahony, Sandra Waddock, and a response from the author

Interview

How to Kick the Growth Addiction

Tim Jackson

April 2017

The author of Prosperity Without Growth discusses why we need to get past the obsession with economic growth—and the capitalist system that spawns it.

Review

What’s Luck Got to Do with It?

Allen White

April 2017

In Success and Luck, Robert Frank underscores the role of "dumb luck" in determining winners and losers, debunking the cherished myth of meritocracy. But how can we get the fortunate to share the spoils?

Viewpoint

The Struggle for Meaningful Work

Kent Klitgaard

February 2017

Capitalism has degraded both the environment and the conditions of human labor. To achieve meaningful work for all on our finite planet, we should heed the lessons of craft and care work and acknowledge their importance to sustenance and meaning.

With commentary by Adam Blakester, Guy Dauncey, Giorgos Kallis, Nava Kavelin, Marjorie Kelly, Lisi Krall, Simon Mair, and Neera Singh, and a response from the author

Interview

The Caring Economy: Well-Being and the Invisible Heart

Nancy Folbre

February 2017

Although fundamental to human well-being, the provision of care has been unrecognized and unremunerated by society. Increasing acknowledgement and respect for caring work will signal progress toward a Great Transition.

Review

Wiki Socialism?

Rajesh Makwana

February 2017

In Postcaplitalism, Paul Mason argues that new information technology will end capitalism as we know it and pave the way to a better future. But the technology Mason celebrates won’t do this without mass mobilization on a global scale.

Core GT Texts