Capitalism Versus Pragmatic Market Socialism

Capitalism versus Pragmatic Market Socialism: A General Equilibrium Evaluation contains important contributions both to general economic theory and to the evaluation of potential market socialist economic systems. As a contribution to economic theory, the general equilibrium model utilized in the research introduces the concept of `capital management effort' as a third primary factor of production (in addition to labor and saving) provided by private households. Capital management effort represents such things as corporate supervision, investment analysis, entrepreneurship, and related activity by the household which is intended to increase the rate of return on its capital wealth. As a contribution to the evaluation of market socialism, this research sheds powerful illumination on the potential performance of a specific variant of market socialism known as `pragmatic market socialism'. Pragmatic market socialism is a plan of market socialism designed to work `almost exactly' like contemporary capitalism. The key differences would be the enforcement of a profit incentive on the publicly owned corporations by an agency designated the Bureau of Public Ownership, and the distribution of the preponderance of capital property return produced by the publicly owned corporations as a social dividend supplement to the household's wage and salary income. The analysis reported in this book shows precisely under what conditions pragmatic market socialism would perform better than capitalism, and under what conditions the opposite would be true. The fundamental implication forthcoming from the research is that the potential performance of pragmatic market socialism relative to capitalism is an empirical rather than a theoretical question.

This title was first published in 2001. Spanning a quarter of a century, this collection makes conveniently accessible 14 of Yunker’s thorough and highly illuminating contributions to the literature on market socialism.

This volume advocates pragmatic market socialism and offers a penetrating critique of the entire range of capitalist apologetics. As James A. Yunker envisions it, pragmatic market socialism would virtually duplicate the everyday economic functions of market capitalist economies, such as the United States' economy. However, public ownership of large, established corporations would enable profits to be distributed among the entire labor force rather than going largely to a class of inheriting rentiers. Pragmatic market socialism would be a means of enhancing economic justice and fairness without sacrificing the efficiency advantages of free enterprise and the market economy. Yunker presents both theoretical and empirical evidence countering various widely-accepted justifications for capitalism. He argues that much of what passes for anti-socialist thought does not actually address socialism at all but rather the various adverse historical correlates of socialism such as the Communist one-party state, Soviet-style central planning, and the Scandinavian welfare state. This book will be of great interest to economists specializing in comparative economic systems to political scientists with an interest in the evolution of political/economic systems.

This volume thoroughly examines the case for democratic market socialism in light of both the real-world and intellectual history of socialism. James Yunker provides a clear and jargon-free account of this highly controversial issue. Covering the history of the market socialist idea from the precursors of Oskar Lange to the present, Yunker examines the subject not only in terms of formal economic theory, but in the context of the actual history of communistic socialism as practiced in the U.S.S.R., Eastern Europe, the P.R.C., and elsewhere. The book's historical content and readability will make it of great interest not only to economists and historians of socialism, but to any reader seeking to learn more about the place of market socialism in history and its potential for future application.

N. Scott Arnold argues that the most defensible version of a market socialist economic system would be unable to realize widely held socialist ideals and values. In particular, it would be responsible for widespread and systematic exploitation. The charge of exploitation, which is really a charge of injustice, has typically been made against capitalist systems by socialists. This book argues that it is market socialism--the only remaining viable form of socialism--that is systematically exploitative.

This book is a contribution to current efforts to transform the concept of socialism. It moves away from the traditional socialist antipathy towards commodity exchange and advocates a significant role for markets in post-capitalist society. Going beyond the familiar arguments of socialists who blame markets for many of the more objectionable aspects of capitalism--alienation, inequality, exploitation, instability, and possessive individualism--the contributors to this volume see markets as making possible a dispersion of political power, decentralization of economic decision-making, and efficient use of scarce resources. Continuing in a long line of liberal socialist thinkers who have understood the disadvantages of relying too heavily on the state to coordinate and direct the economic activities of a nation, today's market socialist theorists accept the painful lessons of the Soviet and East European experience with central planning. They also build on recent advances in positive political economy that have made possible a richer understanding of the respective roles--and limits--of markets and political structure (including firms) as ways of organizing economic activities and allocating resources. Several contributors address the question of whether or not reliance upon markets is compatible with the promotion of socialist objectives such as economic security, social equality, political democracy, stable community life, and opportunities for all to achieve individual self-realization. An anthology of essays on market socialism originally published in Dissent Magazine between 1985 and 1993. This book: --Takes issue with the traditional view that socialism means rejecting the use of markets to organize economic activities; --Moves away from the commitment to central planning and state ownership; and --Addresses the question of whether or not reliance upon markets is compatible with the promotion of socialist objectives such as economic security, social equality, political democracy, stable community life, and opportunities for all to achieve individual self-realization.

This book blends real-world history, intellectual history, and personal history into a compelling case for a new way of thinking about such highly controversial—and highly misunderstood—concepts as market socialism, a Global Marshall Plan, and world government. It argues that, if properly designed according to clear and specific blueprints, all three of these possibilities would indeed greatly benefit humanity if they were fully implemented. The book puts a human face on these proposals by documenting their origin and development through a detailed account of the author’s professional efforts over a long and productive academic career. This story of steadfast determination in the face of steep odds will resonate deeply with every person who has nourished a vision that is commonly dismissed as excessively idealistic and unrealistic.

Being successful in the modern world of finance requires a more in-depth understanding of our global economies on a macro level. What does a shifting demographic cycle mean? How does the explosive growth of emerging markets matter? Why does the world's population affect my portfolio? Does the global monetary system impact my results this year? How does government intervention in markets impact my strategy? In Pragmatic Capitalism, Cullen Roche explores how our global economy works and why it is more important now than ever for investors to understand macroeconomics. Cullen Roche combines his expertise in global macro portfolio management, quantitative risk management, behavioral finance, and monetary theory to explain to readers how macroeconomics works, and provides insights and suggestions for getting the most out of their investment strategies. This book will uncover market myths and explain the rise of macroeconomics and why it impacts the readers' portfolio construction. Pragmatic Capitalism is a must for any sophisticated investor who wants to make the most of their portfolio.