Book Review: A Future For Socialism by John Roemer

Carl N's Reviews > A Future for Socialism 

  A Future for Socialism by John E. Roemer 

Carl N's review Sep 30, 2021 · 

 edit really liked it bookshelves: politics 

 A difficult book but one that probably ought to be read and then reread by anyone serious about bringing socialism to reality. Roemer argues convincingly that socialism is not defined by the ownership or management of the factors of production but by the human freedoms it institutes, guarantees & protects, those being an ethos of economic behavior, an ethic of distributive justice, and a set of property relations that conform to the ethos and implement the ethic. 

If people behave according to the ethos, and implement the property relations, the distributive ethic should be realized. Our understanding of these three pillars evolves as history unfolds. To determine what twenty-first-century socialism is, we should identify its philosophical underpinnings, compare them with capitalism, and then present several socialist variants. 

 Roemer further argues that socialism as attempted in the past has failed for 2 primary reasons: a failure to innovate which is explained by the absence of competition, and the failure to cope efficiently with the complexities of resource allocation. His solution for this problem is twofold: the employment of modern "big data" computing systems & reliance on the signals generated by the market. 

 So to what extent does socialism affect the firm? How is the will of the public enforced? The banking industry, according to Roemer, should be completely owned and controlled by the public, the government in fact as the voice of the public. Investment comes exclusively through the banking system and thus, the will of the people is expressed, in cash! 

 There is much more & that in part explains by recommendation for in depth study. Further, Roemer is only building a hypothetical "starter" or transitional system to establish the seeds of socialism. Finally, it is appropriate to recognize that Roemer stated intention if to change the rules of the physical - nuts & bolts - system rather than depending on human nature to undergo fundamental change.