Articles & Blogs on Inequality & Justice

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Capitalism on Edge; How Fighting Precarity Can Achieve Radical Change Without Crisis or Utopia – New on Our Bookshelf

Azmanova’s new critique of capitalism focuses on the competitive pursuit of profit rather than on forms of ownership and patterns of wealth distribution. She contends that neoliberal capitalism has mutated into a new form—precarity capitalism—marked by the emergence of a precarious multitude. An iconoclastic critique of left orthodoxy, Capitalism on Edge confronts the intellectual and political impasses of our time to discern a new path of emancipation.

How to Overcome the Triple Productivity Crisis? A Proposal to Realize Sustainable & Inclusive Growth

Our current economic growth is neither inclusive nor is it sustainable. One of the key drivers for this development is what we call the triple productivity crisis. If we want to get on an inclusive and sustainable growth path, we need to address the three main drivers of this crisis and rethink our approach to productivity and growth strategies. A viewpoint submitted to the Future Markets Consultation by the Bertelsmann Stiftung, a German think tank.

Renewing the Welfare State; The Right Mix of Ensuring Jobs, Income and Services

Over the last year the welfare state has been at the core of public debates. One idea in particular, namely unconditional universal basic income, has gotten a lot of attention. In my report, written as part of the Future Markets Consultation, I argue that a combination of extended basic services, a job guarantee and benefits as rights is a better solution. This option does not stimulate market individualism, but strengthens social cohesion, as these solutions are based on the reciprocal principle of enabling everyone to contribute to and benefit from the common good.

Renewing the Welfare State; Panel Discussion & Presentation of Report on 29 April

Various innovative ideas, such as an unconditional universal basic income, job guarantee and universal basic services, today seem less radical and utopian than they used to be. But should we put our faith fully in one of these options, seeing it as a silver bullet solution to all of our problems? Or should we, instead, advocate for an innovative combination that brings together the strengths of different ideas? During an online event on 29 April Sam de Muijnck (chairman of the Think Tank of Young Economists of the Future Markets Consultation) will present his report, followed by a panel discussion.

A Fair Allocation of the Costs of Precarious Employment: A Proposal for Europe

Never in human history has wage income been so fragile and transitory. Even if precariousness were to be considered as, all things considered, desirable (or at least inevitable), it would have to be regarded as a negative externality of economic and technological development, and as such it should raise a problem of justice concerning the distribution of costs vis-a-vis benefits of cooperation. I will therefore argue that the main problem of those people who lack a fixed-term job, at least in Europe, is that they live as precarious workers in a world which is still designed for permanent workers.

Winning essay in the category young scholars of the Future Markets Consultation essay contest

Is It Time to Rethink Quotas?

This paper examines the labor market, and argues that quotas should increasingly be used in the hiring process. At a time when more women than ever before are leaving the labor market due to imposed shutdowns stated to combat COVID-19, as well as persistent economic inequality between white people and ethnic minorities, together with the fact that an entire generation of young people have had their grades and education disrupted or stopped because of the pandemic, the allocation of jobs in many sectors can no longer be left to the market mechanism. The use of quotas to ensure that every segment of the community is in gainful employment is therefore recommended and is aligned with the concept of “inclusive development”.

Nominated essay in the category young scholars of the Future Markets Consultation essay contest

Rethinking Our Rights to Resources

If you find a seashell on the beach, it means that you may keep it. This is a thought that many may find natural. For the same reason we may not object to a company that uses machines to collect a lot of seashells at once, especially because the company invested in buying the machines and the labor required to operate the machines. But what if the company prevents others from collecting seashells? Should not everyone have the same right to collect seashells? Assuming such equal rights to resources has significant implications for how the current economy is organized and I argue that rethinking this organization may help to address both the challenge of wealth inequality and several ecological challenges.

Nominated essay in the category young scholars of the Future Markets Consultation essay contest

Laissez-Concurrencer!

The 21st century presents challenges that the European market economy seems unable to resolve, sowing dissatisfaction and opening the door for populists and authoritarian forces. To address these challenges, we must change our conception of the market economy and its relation to the state. Free markets will not miraculously solve or even address pressing issues. Instead of free markets, we must ensure competitive markets; instead of a value-free economy, we must embrace a normative economy that explicitly directs competitive markets towards the issues most pressing to European citizens.

Nominated essay in the category young scholars of the Future Markets Consultation essay contest

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