A very interesting argument, one worth looking at, but one in which I am not wholly convinced. The economic outlooks of the Left have much more in common than he leads on. His dichotomy between unionist and economics rights people is very ahistorical and seems to be a false dichotomy. Sure unions want to achieve things via collective bargaining, etc. but they will also push for (and accept) legislation. Also, much of the opposition to big corporations does not arise from romanticized small producerism but anger over unfair labor practices, predatory capitalism, and greedy corporate behavior. The dont shop at Wal-Mart movement has as much to do with the economic rights and calls to unionism as it does the small scale producerism. Although now I look over it again I see he is arguing the three are not exactly opposed but that the third option, the economics rights via legislation, is the mos viable option. I think this has valid points but I see organized workers, in some form, being the big push for this. I dont think corporations or the government will simply pass these. Once you begin to organize workers, however, to push for these measures what are you creating? Seems like a form of the labor movement. I also like what my fellow grad student, Kyle Pruitt had to say about this- At face value I would argue that hes creating a false dichotomy between unionism and economic rights. For who will defend working peoples economic rights if not for workers organized collectively? I dont think that there is as much conflict within the economic discourse of the left as this author argues. I think that we can characterize the economic thought of the contemporary left as a social democratic admixture of economic rights, industrial democracy, social rights, and environmentalism. Taken as a static doctrine, social democracy appears to contain serious contradictions. However, social democracy as a process of reform, and not as a doctrine, allows for those contradictions to be navigated (democratically of course!). We on the left should be proud of our pragmatism. We arent slaves to Ayn Rand and Milton Friedman.
Posted on: Mon, 02 Dec 2013 01:06:37 +0000
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