The soul of capitalism : opening paths to a moral economy

by Greider, William.

Format: Print Book 2003
Availability: Available at 1 Library 1 of 1 copy
Available (1)
Location Collection Call #
Monroeville Public Library Non-fiction 330.122 G
Location  Monroeville Public Library
 
Collection  Non-fiction
 
Call Number  330.122 G
 
 
Summary
In his previous bestsellers, Who Will Tell the People and Secrets of the Temple, William Greider laid bare the inner workings of American politics and the Federal Reserve, revealing how they often work against the interests of the majority of us. In The Soul of Capitalism, Greider examines how the greatest wealth-creation engine in the history of the world is failing most of us, why it must be changed, and how specifically it can be transformed.
Brilliantly perceptive and sweeping in its ambition, The Soul of Capitalism is also hard-headed and practical, as Greider, one of our most eloquent populist spokesmen, assures us we are not powerless. He illustrates how American capitalism can be aligned more faithfully and obediently with what people want and need in their lives, with what American society needs for a healthy, balanced, and humane future. He proves that it is within our power to reinvent capitalism to make it work for us.
The Soul of Capitalism -- solid, pragmatic, visionary, optimistic -- addresses the nation's most urgent needs.
Published Reviews
Booklist Review: "Greider's thesis is that ordinary people can reinvent capitalism so that it works in their best interest while enhancing the bottom line. He uses examples such as workers owning their companies and small business enterprises operating profitably, and he cites the paradox of secure abundance in our society, which now is accompanied by stressed social reality and an emergence of stark economic inequality among citizens. Competition, the moral underpinning of capitalism, uses people, commodities, and capital with greater effectiveness to produce more for less. Operating costs are pushed onto workers, communities, the environment, and very subtly onto customers in the effort to maximize returns. The purpose of the book is to examine more deeply how and why our brilliant economic system collides with society's broader aspirations as the author observes the lack of personal fulfillment in many people in spite of material affluence. Greider tells us that now is the time to reinvent capitalism in small steps so that individuals can exercise greater responsibility for their own lives. --Mary Whaley Copyright 2003 Booklist"
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Publisher's Weekly Review: "The good news is, American capitalism has "solved the economic problem" of overcoming scarcity, says veteran journalist Greider, currently with the Nation. Most Americans live materially comfortable lives. The bad news: capitalism seems increasingly dysfunctional and alienating, and fundamentally conflicts with humanity's noneconomic values. Greider says we have the luxury and responsibility now to repair this, to transform the essential purpose of our economic system from the relentless pursuit of "more" to the fulfillment of "human needs." Greider (Secrets of the Temple) breaks from the standard left-wing critique in one critical respect: he believes the system will be changed not by activist government but by a variety of small-scale reformers working to transform the economic system from within. Greider reports on experiments in corporate governance, especially employee ownership and consultative decision making. He investigates initiatives in corporate financing, most significantly, the growing practice of socially responsible investing by union and pension funds. Toward ecological sustainability, Greider's proposals include industries' developing "closed-loop recycling that mimics nature." Arguing that current government policies amplify capitalism's distortions, Greider emphasizes redirecting government expenditures from corporate subsidies to long-term social investments. Greider is immoderately optimistic, but without illusions about the challenges these grassroots movements face. Wisely, he recommends local experiments before considering any grandiose plans. Greider concedes that people might perceive a "touchy-feely wishful thinking" in some of the reformers' projects, and that quality is not absent from the book, but his overall framework is fresh and valuable, and his reporting on specific efforts is resourceful and illuminating. Agent, Lynn Nesbit. 8-city author tour. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved"
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Additional Information
Subjects Capitalism -- United States.
Capitalism -- Moral and ethical aspects -- United States.
Capitalism -- Social aspects -- United States.
Publisher New York :Simon & Schuster,2003
Language English
Description ix, 366 pages ; 25 cm
Bibliography Notes Includes bibliographical references (pages 341-350) and index.
ISBN 9780684862200 (pbk.)
0684862190
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