Building the Good Society : The Power and Limits of Markets, Democracy and Freedom in an Increasingly Polarized World.

Cover -- BUILDING THE GOOD SOCIETY -- BUILDING THE GOOD SOCIETY: The Power and Limits of Markets, Democracy and Freedom in an Increasingly Polarized World -- Copyright -- TABLE OF CONTENTS -- ABOUT THE AUTHOR -- FOREWORD -- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS -- Introduction -- 1. Securing Political Freedom and Sustainable Democracy -- A Freedom-Maximizing Legal System -- The Role of Norms and Social Institutions -- Why Democracy and Freedom Are not Enough -- Economic Power and the Distortion of Democracy -- Concentrations of Political Power and Democracy -- Democracy and Market Capitalism -- 2. The Market System: Achieving Equity and Material Abundance -- Introduction -- Why Truly Laissez-Faire Capitalism Doesn't Work -- Competition -- Rules-of-the-Game Regulation -- Effective Demand versus Need -- The Real Function of Money -- Money Value and Economic Value -- Financial Institutions -- What About a Hybrid Economic System? -- The Mondragon Cooperative Corporation -- The Economic System and the Good Society -- 3. Attitudes: Promoting Progress or Destroying Dignity? -- Introduction -- Militarism, Racism, and Sexism: The Common Threads -- Materialism -- Meritocracy -- Individualism and Social Responsibility -- Social Roles and Obedience to Authority -- Questioning Authority: The Power of Nonviolent Disobedience -- Competition and Cooperation -- Language and Attitudes -- Privacy, Freedom, and Security -- Nationalism and Independence -- What Drives Us at the Deepest Level? -- 4. Institutions and Organizations: Constructing the Social Foundation -- Introduction -- Institutions, Organizations, and Practices within the Good Society -- Work -- Education -- Tenure -- Religion -- Organizational Design and Institutional Practice -- NGOs and Civil Society -- Interacting with the World -- Free Trade and Globalization -- The National Security System.

Principle I: Establish Balanced, Mutually Beneficial Relationships -- Principle II: Emphasize Development -- Principle III: Minimize Ecological Stress -- Peacekeeping Economics in Action -- Protecting the Web of Life -- The Role of IGOs, Treaties, and International Law -- 5. Limits and Incentives: Tools for an Efficient, Fair, and Responsible Society -- Introduction -- The Nature and Fungibility of Wealth, Power, and Influence -- Economic Limits -- Political Limits -- Incentives -- 6. Democratic Transitions: Creating, Protecting, and Sustaining the Good Society -- Introduction -- Bringing Freedom and Democracy to Those Long Deprived -- Nonviolent Protest and Revolution -- Stopping the Loss of Freedom and Democracy in Places Long Used to Them -- Distorting Elections -- Campaigning -- Overcoming Voter Apathy -- Reform in Democratic Structure and Operation -- Creating a Freer, More Democratic, and Prosperous Society -- Conclusion: The Core Principles of a Good Society -- Extracting the Core Principles of a Good Society -- Principle 1 -- Principle 2 -- Principle 3 -- Principle 4 -- Principle 5 -- Principle 6 -- NOTES -- INDEX.

In six interconnected essays, leading political economist Lloyd J. Dumas presents a pragmatic alternative view of a society that is capable of maximizing individual freedoms and producing sustained prosperity while preserving socially responsible behavior.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.