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The People's Republic of Walmart
- How the World's Biggest Corporations are Laying the Foundation for Socialism
- Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin
- Length: 7 hrs and 35 mins
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The People's Republic of Walmart
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Summary
Since the demise of the USSR, the mantle of the largest planned economies in the world has been taken up by the likes of Walmart, Amazon, and other multinational corporations.
For the left and the right, major multinational companies are held up as the ultimate expressions of free-market capitalism. Their remarkable success appears to vindicate the old idea that modern society is too complex to be subjected to a plan. And yet, as Leigh Phillips and Michal Rozworski argue, much of the economy of the West is centrally planned at present. Not only is planning on vast scales possible, we already have it and it works. The real question is whether planning can be democratic. Can it be transformed to work for us?
An engaging, polemical romp through economic theory, computational complexity, and the history of planning, The People's Republic of Walmart revives the conversation about how society can extend democratic decision-making to all economic matters. With the advances in information technology in recent decades and the emergence of globe-straddling collective enterprises, democratic planning in the interest of all humanity is more important and closer to attainment than ever before.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 22-01-23
A comprehensive destruction of anti-planning
I would've added some reasons for USSR's authoritarianism tho like sabotage etc, since it's the main vehicle for asserting that planning doesn't work it's important to explain not only that planning was compromised but also why - otherwise it will be said that communists inherent evil stops them from using planning for good and it should be kept to the capitalists.
But otherwise book demonstrated superiority of planning over markets beautifully.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-07-23
Very Informative
This is an excellent insight into the nature and history of economic planning and into why it is superior to market allocation and how we could hope to replace markets with planning in the future. A very useful book for any socialist.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Sean Burke
- 09-07-23
A fascinating argument for Socialist planning
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, wrong structured arguments for imagining a socialism that can meet the needs of planning and I always appreciate the dispelling of capitalist myths. I’ll. recommend to friends.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- ::m::
- 25-01-20
Narrator sounds like comic book guy from the Simpsons
Interesting book written on a decent premise. But the narrator seems to think the material isn’t engaging enough and that it’s up to him to exaggerate his performance in a order to make up for it.
Will buy the book instead.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Rob
- 13-01-20
Some interesting points hidden in the partisan nonsense
I enjoyed this book as it had some interesting ideas I had not heard expressed elsewhere. However, even as someone well to the left of the average person, I could certainly have done without the clear left wing tone. Tribalism has no place in academic idea exploration- it probably serves to put off half the audience before they consider the broad point that planning is more effective than generally considered.
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