EP. 641: NEW METHODS TO DEMOCRATIZE THE ECONOMY ft. COLIN B. ANTHES

A New Approach to Building Community Wealth

Introduction

 

In many leftist circles, the term "wealth building" can trigger skepticism. It often brings to mind the language of neoliberal capitalism, where wealth creation is synonymous with the exploitation of labor and the concentration of resources in the hands of the few. With wealth inequality reaching historic highs, housing costs soaring beyond reach for many, and environmental devastation rampant due to the unbridled market forces of capital, should we rethink how we approach wealth? The concept of "community wealth building" offers an alternative rooted in collective ownership and control, challenging the individualist, competitive frameworks of traditional wealth accumulation.

 

Community wealth building seeks to empower workers and communities through cooperative models of enterprise, public ownership, and socially controlled financial institutions. It challenges the logic of capital by redistributing economic power from corporations and financial elites to the people. As Colin Bruce Anthes argues in his article "Canada Needs A Federal Community Wealth Building Agenda" for Canadian Dimension, this model represents a radical departure from the status quo, positioning economic justice as the foundation of democratic life. In a time when neoliberalism has hollowed out communities and starved them of resources, could community wealth building be the pathway to a more egalitarian and environmentally sustainable future?

 

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Read Jason Myles in Sublation Magazine https://www.sublationmag.com/writers/jason-myles

 

Read Jason Myles in Damage Magazine https://damagemag.com/2023/11/07/the-man-who-sold-the-world/

 

Pascal Robert's Black Agenda Report: https://www.blackagendareport.com/author/Pascal%20Robert