Institute for Economic Democracy

Ascent to freedom; the practical and philosophical foundations of democratic world law.

Martin (philosophy and religious studies, Radford U.) presents a legal-philosophical argument for the establishment of democratic world law. He provides a historical overview of the philosophy of law in Western thought, from pre-Socratic beginnings to Jürgen Habermas in order to provide a foundation for his thoughts on law, human rights, and community and also addresses practical issues concerning the implementation of democratic world law within the framework of the Constitution for the Federation of Earth (which is included in an appendix). (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Economic democracy; a grand strategy for world peace and prosperity; green economics for sustainable development, 2d ed.

In Money: A Mirror Image of the Economy, published simultaneously with this work, Smith (PhD, political economics, Union Institute and U.) discussed the monetary implications of his theory that application of 19th century political economist Henry George's land tax ideas would allow for the social appropriation of natural resources and help eliminate inequality and economic inefficiency. In this volume he addresses some of the historical implications of this view of property rights, describing how classical economic property rights has allowed plunder by trade. He also reiterates his monetary theory and argues for its adoption. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Money; a mirror image of the economy; green monetary theory for sustainable development, 2d ed.

Smith (PhD, political economics, Union Institute and U.) argues that current property rights law is both inequitable and inefficient. He proposes restructuring property rights law in line with the ideas of 19th century political economist Henry George, who proposed the establishment of a social tax on land, to which people would not have exclusive title but only conditional title. He contends that this proposal would allow for the true social appropriation of natural resources and would allow for a doubling of economic efficiency and massive savings by all. He spends much of this volume analyzing the monetary implications of such a theory. This theory also lies at the heart of the author's Economic Democracy: A Grand Strategy for World Peace and Prosperity, published simultaneously. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)

Twenty-first century democratic renaissance; from Plato to neoliberalism to planetary democracy.

Harris (moral and intellectual philosophy emeritus, Northwestern U.) applies his significant research and thought along with his 99 years on the planet to explain how the seeds sown by Thucydides and Plato were nurtured by Aristotle, Rousseau, Kant, Adam Smith, Hegel and even Marx, only to be met by anti-democratic thinkers such as Schmidt, Schumpeter, Pareto, von Hayek, Margenthau and Barber. He closely examines the influence of Leo Strauss and Milton Friedman on today's neoconservative thought and politics, and proposes a world federal process that would ensure that democracy continue and thrive. The result is an elegant, earnest and persuasive argument deeply tinted by Harris's conviction that democracy must continue or we all will be lost. (Annotation ©2008 Book News Inc. Portland, OR)