After capitalism…?

What will be the end of the economic crisis we are facing? A reformed capitalistic system, maybe an ”enlightened capitalism”, according to Neville Isdell (Coca Cola) or something else? The good thing with a crisis is that it opens up for new possibiities. Like forests, which need large forest fires now and then to thrive, societies may need economic crisis now and then to develop.

However, a new economic system – or a reformed capitalistic system – is needed not only to handle our financial systems. Above all, it’s needed to handle the main problems and challenges of today: poverty, inequality, environmental problems, especially global warming, etc.

The capitalistic system is very efficient in creating economic growth – but is that the most urgent need today? More and more people seem to answer ”no”. And it might be easy to agree, thinking of all our abundant consumption – at least here in the rich countries. However, most people in the world have never experienced any ”abundant consumption”, hardly any consumption at all.

All these people still desperately need eonomic growth. Would it be possible to develop an economic system that on one hand creates growth in poorer countries and on the other leads to a ”steady-state” situation in the richer societies?

In Prospect, the British monthly magazine, Geoff Mulgan has written a very readable essay, ”After Capitalism”: After Capitalism