Life Without Money: Building Fair and Sustainable Economies

by Anitra Nelson (Editor), Frans Timmerman (Editor)

The money-based global economy is failing. The credit crunch undermined capitalism's ability to ensure rising incomes and prosperity while market-led attempts to combat climate change are fought tooth and nail by business as environmental crises continue.

We urgently need to combat those who say 'there is no alternative' to the current system, but what would an alternative look like? The contributors to Life Without Money argue that it is time radical, non-market models were taken seriously. The book brings together diverse voices presenting strong arguments against our money-based system's ability to improve lives and prevent environmental disaster. Crucially, it provides a direct strategy for undercutting capitalism by refusing to deal in money, and offers money-free models of governance and collective sufficiency.

Life Without Money is written by high-profile activist scholars, including Harry Cleaver, Ariel Salleh and John O'Neill, making it an excellent text for political economy and environmental courses, as well as an inspiring manifesto for those who want to take action.

Genres: Economics, Nonfiction, Politics, Ecology

256 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2011

Reviews

[Lorax · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent combination of theory and experiments. The second section on real life non-market societies was inspirational; makes you wonder why we're still banging our heads against the capitalist brick wall.

[Sean Liu · Rating 3 out of 5]

To dream of a world without money will remain a dream: civilisation is built upon a layer of belief as its foundation. Its second layer will always be a currency of exchange and that is money. It pre-exists language or the written word, or arguably, it is a form of communication, language. All the writers failed to realise this, thereby showing how their visions will never be realised.

[Mel Stead]

Review from the March 2012 issue of the Socialist Standard:

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