The financial crisis, the Occupy movement, Brexit and the ongoing discussions about the rising economic inequality have caused a decline in enthusiasm about capitalism as the one and only system. Is capitalism a sustainable economic system? Giacomo Corneo, professor of Social Policy and Public Finance at the Free University of Berlin, proposes to gradually transform the current economic system so as to share prosperity and foster democratic participation.
His new book Is Capitalism Obsolete? is written as a conversation between him and his daughter. The book is a journey through all alternative options: from Plato’s Republic to diverse modern models. On this evening, held at Dutch debate center De Balie on 10 October 2018, Giacomo Corneo talked about the outcome of this journey. His discussants:
- Albert Jan Kruiter is publicist and co-founder of the Instituut for ‘Publieke Waarden’. The IPW develops new ways to realize accessible public and social care. He thinks highly of our welfare state, but is not afraid to criticize and deconstruct our bureaucracy. We will talk with him about the way capitalism can be put to work for social goals.
- Lex Hoogduin is professor Economics of Complexity and Uncertainty in Financial Markets and Financial Institutions at the Rijksuniversiteit Groningen.
- Heleen Mees is opinion writer and author of four books. She’s a columnist for de Volkskrant and Project Syndicate. In addition to writing, Mees has been teaching at New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.
