Verso Books 2022. Hardback, 224 pp.
The question of ownership is the critical fault line of our times.
During the pandemic this issue has only become more divisive. Since
March 2020 we have witnessed the extraordinary growth of asset manager
capitalism and the explosive concentration of wealth within the hands of
the already super-rich. This new oligarchy controls every part of our
social and economics lives. In the face of crisis, the authors
warn that mere redistribution within current forms of ownership is not
enough; our goal must be to go beyond the limits of the current system,
dominated by private enclosure and unequal ownership. Only by
reimagining how our economy is owned and by whom can we address the
crises of our time - from the fallout of the pandemic to ecological
collapse - at their roots. Building from this insight, the
authors argue the systemic change we need hinges on a new era of
democratic ownership: a reinvention of the firm as a vehicle for
collective endeavour and meeting social needs. Against the new oligarchy
of the platform giants, a digital commons that uses our data for
collective good, not private profit. In place of environmental
devastation, a new agenda of decommodification - of both nature and
needs - with a Green New Deal and collective stewardship of the planet's
natural wealth. Together, these proposals offer a road map to owning
the future, and building a better world.