Richard D. Wolff

I am curious if there is any sort of quantifiable difference between the prevalence of planned obsolescence of products in worker cooperatives versus capitalist businesses. It is clear that there is a difference at least between markets and planning if you look at products like long-lasting light bulbs and refrigerators in the centrally-planned economies of places like East Germany. Do you know if there is any literature or studies that have been performed on this topic? Perhaps there is an incentive in worker cooperatives to produce longer-lasting quality products or perhaps an incentive even to make MORE regularly-replaced disposable products? I would assume the answer is probably "no difference", but I would like to know if anyone has ever actually endeavored to investigate this topic.

I am an employee. We all recieved an email I'd like to forward you notifying us of this upcoming event. Calling it a fireside chat makes me sick. Please let me know where to send this. Pasting body:Register: Fireside chat on tax reform with Randall and U.S. Representative Kevin Brady To: All employees What: Join Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson for a special fireside chat with U.S. Representative and Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee Kevin Brady on Wednesday, Aug. 23. This live discussion will cover tax reform and the implications for the American economy. They'll leave ample time at the end for your questions. When: Wednesday, Aug. 23 10 - 10:45 a.m. CT Where: Concourse Auditorium 208 S. Akard St. Dallas View the webcast on Aug. 23. Action Items: To submit a question for the Q&A session in advance, click here. To register, click here and add the event to your calendar. NOTE: This activity is strictly voluntary and should be conducted on an individual's personal time. Non-exempt employees who are scheduled to work must arrange in advance with their supervisors to take time off to participate. Important: Before the meeting, test your connection (http://mp.att.com). Tune to a channel and click on the video camera icon above the video screen to select the best video stream option for your location. Other options: Did you know that you don't need a corporate network connection? The best experience will be on a computer (Windows/Mac OS) or mobile device (iPad/iPhone) connected directly to the internet. Use the same link as above and log on using your Global Logon credentials.

If this hasn't been covered recently in Economic Updates, I would very much like to hear you talk about the impact of low interest rates in an upcoming episode, particularly with regard to asset bubbles. Thank you for all your great work.

After reading of this story here: http://gizmodo.com/exclusive-heres-the-full-10-page-anti-diversity-screed-1797564320 I had the following thought. [If Google was a Co-op, this type of thing would have been handled much better. Within a hierarchy, where social and moral norms are top down, there will always be alienation of the minority point of view, even if it is rationally defended. In a Co-op, every issue is handled by participants of equal rank and the common goals of the organization are unambiguous. It is in no-ones interest to allow the firing of a member merely for a minority point of view since that policy will eventually unravel the Co-op and make it impossible to make collective decisions.] What do you think Prof. Wolff? Am I right? Would the non-hierarchical nature of Co-ops enable better decisions over controversial issues affecting the co-op culture?

I've only recently looked into this. I understand that it is a staple of the "Green New Deal". From what I have gleaned from a very brief introduction to it (Modern Monetary Theory), it dismisses classical schools of economic thought, which includes Marxian. Could you touch on this subject in one of your talks just to explain from your more learned understanding just exactly what point they are trying to make, and if you "buy" their teaching.

We know that Marx asserted a clear and fundamental proposition in his Capital I, contending that labor will not be employed by capital unless it can generate more value than it is compensated with. From here arises a major political conclusion about exploitation of labor by capital. But let us not forget, Marx was imposing assumptions on his model and his proposition holds true within the abstract framework under those premises. The most important one, that there is perfect competition and a "free market", as perceived and defined by original liberal political economists (i.e. a market free from all forms of rent). In reality, though, rentier classes are the ones dominating and controlling markets. One of those rentier classes, I venture to say, is the skilled workers. Skills will inevitably beget monopolistic powers to their possessors, unless education could be democratized, at least to the extent that supply of all skills approaches to its demand. Considering this tendency, it is no longer a surprise to see why the working class does not behave as a united class with uniform interests and political aspirations, especially in developed countries with high levels of technological progress. I know that Marx was aware of these implications, but since most Marxists never go beyond his very first volume of Capital, his profound analysis is often reduced to an unrealistic view of capitalist society, therefore undermining his materialist method and substituting it with an idealistic one. What do you think about the implications of monopoly and rent in the Marxian view of capitalist society, particularly that of skilled labor and the way it is being even further monopolized by erecting barriers to entry such as extortionate tuition fees and abolishing public education?

The Andalusian town of Marinaleda was once a poor farming community, until 1971 when the radical socialist Colectivo de Unidad de los Trabajadores (Workers Unity Collective) was elected. The new government revitalized the failing economy and implemented socialist economic policies. When the global financial crisis hit Spain, the town managed to have full employment all whilst the unemployment rate of the rest of Andalusia was 30% of the active population. My question is how did this small communist town in Andalusia thrive through a crisis that crippled the economies of it's neighbors? some sources: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/oct/20/marinaleda-spanish-communist-village-utopia http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/world/europe/26spain.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all http://www.critical-theory.com/story-marinaleda-communist-village-world/

Thank you for reading

Thank you for your work!

During some of your talks you sometimes mention USSR and that it succeeded in industraliazation of a underdeveloped country, in a short amount of time, despite the horrible humanitarian and economic catastrophes of WWI, civil war, and WWII. You also mention that later, in the 70s, the economy of USSR stagnates, with consequences such as deficit of consumtion goods and growing discontent.

Since USSR was an attempt to create an alternative to the estabilished capitalism system, I beleive we need to learn from it's successes and failures. Therefore I would be very interested in your thoughts on why USSR initially had economic success, and what changed and led to the economic stagnation?

Many thanks in advance!

Since your German is pretty good, i thought i would share this article with you (i am interested in your thoughts on the subject) https://www.heise.de/tp/features/Politische-Oekonomie-des-Krisennationalismus-3786906.html?seite=1

I agree with you that a change in the mode of production from employer/employee capitalism to worker ownership, operation, and management of the workplace is socialism in action. However, doesn't that solve only part of the problem? Aren't there other requirements for comprehensive, viable systemic change? A few of them that come to my mind are: (1) working class acquisition of dominant political power; (2) the world-wide liberation of workers from wage slavery;and (3) de-militarization and an end to imperialism.

(1) In the U.S., an entirely new constitution establishing genuine democracy and equal representation under the law is sine qua non. (2) An isolated socialistic country, even one as powerful as the U.S. might be, would have great difficulty functioning as socialist society in the context of a global economy still dominated by capitalism. (3) The power of the military must be drastically curtailed, meaning that a controlling majority of the military rank and file must join with workers in opposing the power of bourgeois forces fighting to preserve their power.

I would also comment that the world does not have much time to derail the juggernaut of global capitalism that is rushing toward the dual precipice of nuclear war and climate catastrophe. Is the time required to develop an economy based on WSDE's  enough to avert these looming tragedies?

Thank you.

I guess paying Jamaicans their relatively new minimum wage of $51/week is too much... Adidas is moving into low-rent Arkansas with machines that can cut fabric and piece together t-shirts in four minutes, human-free. You can be they'll label them "made in America". http://www.innovationintextiles.com/technology-machinery-equipment/automated-sewbot-to-make-800000-adidas-tshirts-daily/

In a recent online lecture, you said something to the effect that slavery had been eliminated and/or that slavery as an economic institution had passed. While slavery is no longer the dominate institution (if it ever was), it is far from eliminated. In fact, according to the top experts, there are more slaves in the world today that any other time in history. Experts conservatively estimate 27-29 million slaves. These slaves work for nothing and will be hurt or killed if they try to leave, fitting the traditional definition and differentiating them from the hundreds of millions of sweatshop workers. See, e.g. Disposable People by Kevin Bales, the Free the Slaves website or the Antislavery International website. That modern capitalism allows this and even benefits/profits from it is a topic worthy of consideration.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/edge-of-sports-with-dave-zirin/id280938935?mt=2&i=1000385951288