My latest idea for tinkering with the values-based framework — reorganize v 0.1 so instead of having a section on myths followed by a section on alternatives, break it into pairs of myths and alternatives.
NOTE: This post is mostly for me — to help me get this next step out of my head and put it down on paper — so I’m using a lot of shorthand that may not be clear. Once I’ve got a better idea of what I’m really arguing, I’ll spell it out so it’s easier to understand.
Introduction
Our debate about the economy the economy is shaped by 3 myths that tilt the playing field in favor of the values of people with power — big corporations and the rich. If we stop believing these myths, we can develop an alternative way of talking about the economy that could give everyone a real say in choosing the values that shape our economy.
Results
- Behind the scenes, big corps & the rich stack odds in favor of their values
- The strategy of”Ponying up” — i.e., solve problems through individual action — undercuts mobilizing
- Stack the Odds in Favor of the Good Guys
- Get Real: confronting conflicting values head-on (e.g., big house vs. traffic)
Myth: Power isn’t central to the market
Results
- No real discussion of imbalance of Corporate power. E.g., 2010 financial reform ignores power imbalance that led to 90s “deregulation,” which led to meltdown
- Progressives oversimplify power. E.g., Glenn Greenwald’s “corporatism & corrupt government”
- Wishful thinking. E.g., “carbon tax will solve all” instead of honest discussion with rural, exurban, auto workers, etc. on ensuring no one gets crushed
- Checks & Balances
- It Isn’t a Success until It’s Politically Sustainable
- Players over Policy
- Get Real: confronting conflicting interests & complexities of compromise head-on
Myth: The economy is too complicated to shape other than with market-based solutions
- “The only alternative to market solution is Command and Control”
- “The only alternative to market solution is regulations” — ” specific rules of what you can and can’t do“
- “Government can’t be smarter than the market”
Result: behind the scenes, big corps & the rich stack odds in favor of their values
- EU’s Cap & Trade mess
- Wall Street: in the name of creating jobs, carpet bombs jobs
- Use a mix of approaches, based on real-world, not Econ 101/Market fairy tales, that encourage flexibility and creativity
- Create/nurture new markets
- Make it Easy/Visible — a.k.a., People Aren’t Calculators, Orgs Aren’t Calculators
- Ban/require some behavior
- Use feedback loops & hold people accountable
Some thoughts about v0.15
- I like the idea of pairs of myth-alternative
- But it ends up sounding like my spiel is more about the myths and not enough about the alternatives
- Myth #3: the Alternative still sounds too mechanical. For example, how does creating/nurturing markets tied back to the values we care about? Or to creativity and flexibility?
- Myth #1 & 2: the phrase “isn’t central to the market” doesn’t really capture the weird, peekaboo-like quality of how we talk about the role of government & power in the market
- Where does my criticism of NIMBYism and McKibben’s Underpants Gnomes strategy fit into the framework?
- The intro still isn’t snappy like not as snappy as the middle class was no accident“
