The People's Republic of Walmart: How the World's Biggest Corporations are Laying the Foundation for SocialismAre multi-national corporations like Walmart and Amazon laying the groundwork for international socialism? For the left and the right, major multinational companies are held up as the ultimate expressions of free-market capitalism. Their remarkable success appears to vindicate the old idea that modern society is too complex to be subjected to a plan. And yet, as Leigh Phillips and Michal Rozworski argue, much of the economy of the West is centrally planned at present. Not only is planning on vast scales possible, we already have it and it works. The real question is whether planning can be democratic. Can it be transformed to work for us? An engaging, polemical romp through economic theory, computational complexity, and the history of planning, The People’s Republic of Walmart revives the conversation about how society can extend democratic decision-making to all economic matters. With the advances in information technology in recent decades and the emergence of globe-straddling collective enterprises, democratic planning in the interest of all humanity is more important and closer to attainment than ever before. |
What people are saying - Write a review
We haven't found any reviews in the usual places.
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
allocation already Amazon appeared argued better Bolsheviks build calculation called capitalism capitalist central century complex consumer corporate costs created debate decades decisions deliver demand democratic described developed direct distribution doctors economic economists efficient enterprises entire example exist factory firm forces global hand happens healthcare human idea increase individual industry interest investment labor later less limited major means millions offered operations optimization organization peasants percent planning political possible practice problems production profit question rational remains responsible result scale sector simply social socialist society Soviet supply things tion turn ultimately United universal wages Walmart warehouse workers
Bibliographic information
| Title | The People's Republic of Walmart: How the World's Biggest Corporations are Laying the Foundation for Socialism |
| Authors | Leigh Phillips, Michal Rozworski |
| Publisher | Verso Books, 2019 |
| ISBN | 178663516X, 9781786635167 |
| Length | 256 pages |
| Subjects | › › Political Science / Commentary & Opinion Political Science / Political Economy Political Science / Political Ideologies / Communism, Post-Communism & Socialism |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |