| Edition |
First edition. |
| Description |
1 online resource (249 pages) |
| Physical Medium |
polychrome |
| Description |
text file |
| Contents |
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 |
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2. The Market System: Achieving Equity and Material AbundanceIntroduction; 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 |
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Social Roles and Obedience to AuthorityQuestioning 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 |
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The National Security SystemPrinciple 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 |
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Bringing Freedom and Democracy to Those Long DeprivedNonviolent 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 |
| Summary |
In many countries, society seems to be going off the rails. Economies are mired in widening and deepening inequality while the polity has deteriorated into a state of permanent hyper-partisan confrontation. Compromise and pragmatism seem a thing of the past. The central value of fairness has been cast aside. An individual's freedom and prosperity increasingly appear to depend not on personal and social commitments to the fundamental institutions of market economy and political democracy, but rather on whether his or her side dominates in the struggle for power. 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. In six interconnected essays, he investigates how to secure political freedom and sustainable democracy while avoiding the deliberate manipulation that produces less-than-democratic results; how to achieve equity and material abundance within the market system while avoiding the disadvantages of excessive income and wealth inequality; how to foster individual attitudes that promote progress rather than destroy the idea of individual dignity; how to shape the international organizations and institutions that will construct a solid and truly global social foundation; and how to sustain these foundations through democratic transitions. No blue sky utopian vision of idealists living in a perfect society, this book draws upon real examples from around the globe in order to outline an achievable future where ordinary, fallible human beings can overcome the most troubling limitations of democratic institutions and free market economics in order to harness their power to bring prosperity and maximize personal freedom. With chapters that collectively build a pragmatic conceptual foundation for envisioning an optimally ethical international politico-economic system, Building the Good Society is a must-read for political economists and policymakers interested in realistic, theoretically rigorous recommendations for social development. Because its chapters are digestible as standalone essays, this book is also of interest to anyone concerned with the most pressing political, economic, and social issues of the past ten years. |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| Local Note |
eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - North America |
| Subject |
Human rights.
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Human rights. |
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Political science.
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Political science. |
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Sociology.
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Sociology. |
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Economics -- Sociological aspects.
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Economics -- Sociological aspects. |
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Democracy -- Economic aspects.
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Democracy -- Economic aspects. |
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Democracy -- Social aspects.
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Democracy -- Social aspects. |
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Democracy. |
| Genre/Form |
Electronic books.
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| Subject |
Human rights. |
| Other Form: |
Print version: Dumas, Lloyd J. Power and Limits of Markets, Democracy and Freedom : Building a Good Society in an Increasingly Polarized World. Bingley : Emerald Publishing Limited, ©2019 9781838676322 |
| ISBN |
9781838676315 (electronic book) |
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1838676317 (electronic book) |
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9781838676292 (electronic book) |
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1838676295 (electronic book) |
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1838676325 |
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9781838676322 |
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