In Recasting Egailtarianism, part of Verso’s Real Utopias series, economists Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis diagnose the current malaise of the Left as a result of the obsolescence of its traditional economic models. They propose an egalitarian redistribution of assets—land, capital and housing—and draw in novel ways on markets, competition, state regulation and community governance. The lead essay in the book lays out the underlying logic of this proposal in some detail. In the series of critiques which follow it, a range of distinguished thinkers engage in lively polemic concerning the practicality and effectiveness of the authors’ scheme.
“Recasting Egalitarianism is an exceptionally stimulating collection of essays ... compulsory reading for everyone concerned with the policies and politics of equality.”—Frank Vandenbrouke, former Vice-Prime Minister of Belgium of leader of the Socialistiche Partij
“This is a timely, original and enormously useful book for rethinking alternatives to the status quo, in Latin America and elsewhere.”—Jorge G. Castaneda, author of Utopia Unarmed: The Latin American Left after the Cold War; and Campanero: The Life and Death of Che Guevara
Samuel Bowles is an American economist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Herbert Gintis is an American behavioral scientist, educator, and author. He is currently Professor at the Central European University and External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute.
Erik Olin Wright is Vilas Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin. He is the author of many books, including Classes, Interrogating Inequality, Class Counts, Deepening Democracy (with Archon Fung), and Envisioning Real Utopias. For more information on Envisioning Real Utopias and the Real Utopias project, and to access book content, please visit <a href="http://realutopias.org/">realutopias.org</a> (site in progress).
John E. Roemer is the Elizabeth S. and A. Varick Professor of Political Science and Economics. He is a Fellow of the Econometric Society, and has been a Fellow of the Guggenheim Foundation and the Russell Sage Foundation.
In Recasting Egailtarianism, part of Verso’s Real Utopias series, economists Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis diagnose the current malaise of the Left as a result of the obsolescence of its traditional economic models. They propose an egalitarian redistribution of assets—land, capital and housing—and draw in novel ways on markets, competition, state regulation and community governance. The lead essay in the book lays out the underlying logic of this proposal in some detail. In the series of critiques which follow it, a range of distinguished thinkers engage in lively polemic concerning the practicality and effectiveness of the authors’ scheme.
Reviews
“Recasting Egalitarianism is an exceptionally stimulating collection of essays ... compulsory reading for everyone concerned with the policies and politics of equality.”—Frank Vandenbrouke, former Vice-Prime Minister of Belgium of leader of the Socialistiche Partij
“This is a timely, original and enormously useful book for rethinking alternatives to the status quo, in Latin America and elsewhere.”—Jorge G. Castaneda, author of Utopia Unarmed: The Latin American Left after the Cold War; and Campanero: The Life and Death of Che Guevara
Author
Samuel Bowles is an American economist and Professor Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Herbert Gintis is an American behavioral scientist, educator, and author. He is currently Professor at the Central European University and External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute.
Erik Olin Wright is Vilas Distinguished Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin. He is the author of many books, including Classes, Interrogating Inequality, Class Counts, Deepening Democracy (with Archon Fung), and Envisioning Real Utopias. For more information on Envisioning Real Utopias and the Real Utopias project, and to access book content, please visit <a href="http://realutopias.org/">realutopias.org</a> (site in progress).
John E. Roemer is the Elizabeth S. and A. Varick Professor of Political Science and Economics. He is a Fellow of the Econometric Society, and has been a Fellow of the Guggenheim Foundation and the Russell Sage Foundation.
