[Van-Parecon] Hahnel's New Book & Our Next Meeting

[vancouverparecon at resist.ca]

Greetings...

    In this announcement we'd like to point your attention to Robin
Hahnel's latest book "Economic Justice and Democracy: From Competition
to Cooperation" published by Routledge Press. It's now available for
ordering and hitting book stores near you any day now. Robin Hahnel
has taught political economy at American University for over 25 years.
He has co-authored, along with Michael Albert, numerous books on
participatory economics.

Here is a link for more info on how to order the book:
http://www.routledge-ny.com

Here is a brief description of the content:

    Economic Justice and Democracy: From Competition to Cooperation
(Routledge, 2005) argues that progressives need to go back to the
drawing board and rethink how we conceive of economic justice and
economic democracy. After carefully examining competing notions, this
book argues for defining economic justice as reward commensurate with
effort, or sacrifice, and economic democracy as decision making power in
proportion to degree affected.

    After explaining why capitalism, central planning, and market socialism
are all incapable of providing economic justice and democracy, and after
examining why both social democracy and libertarian socialism failed to
sustain the cause of equitable cooperation, permitting the economics of
competition and greed to dominate the last quarter of the twentieth
century, a coherent set of economic institutions and procedures that can
deliver economic justice and democracy, while protecting the environment
and promoting efficiency, is carefully spelled out.

    However this "participatory economy" is only a long-run goal, or guiding
vision. The final five chapters explore how to promote the economics of
equitable cooperation in the here and now through economic reform
campaigns and movements that already exist, and through alternative
experiments that promote cooperative over commercial values. Ways to
broaden the base of existing economic reform movements while deepening
their commitment to more far reaching change are emphasized.

You can read more about the book here:
http://www.routledge-ny.com

For our recent interview with Robin Hahnel about "Parecon & the
Environment" go here:
http://vanparecon.resist.ca/pareconenvironmentone.html

    In other matters, we'd like to invite anyone from the Vancouver area
to our next organising meeting this Sunday, March 6th, 5pm at "The
Grind" Cafe, 4124 Main St. (Main and 25th). Please note, this is not a
workshop or talk, but an organising meeting to develop, brainstorm and
plan our activities. If you are unable to attend but have an interest
in getting involved, or would simply like to pass on some ideas,
please email us at: vancouverparecon at resist.ca


Vancouver Parecon Collective
http://vanparecon.resist.ca