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The Blueprint: How Socialism Can Work in the Real World
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Expected 29 Sep 26From leading contributors to Jacobin magazine, a sweeping vision for a better world and concrete steps to get there, from expansive social welfare guarantees to worker-managed firms to a new culture of innovation.
Socialism, the pundits insist, is at best a noble delusion. Good in theory — maybe — but proven disastrous by over a century of experimentation. The Blueprint will present a vision for socialist politics in the twenty-first century, offering not only a critique of contemporary capitalism but a description of a viable economic model that features both expansive social welfare guarantees, worker-managed firms, and the innovation that comes from market competition. Based on the real experiences of social democracy and the cooperative movement, we can envision a better world, and outline concrete steps to get there.
Socialism, the pundits insist, is at best a noble delusion. Good in theory — maybe — but proven disastrous by over a century of experimentation. The Blueprint will present a vision for socialist politics in the twenty-first century, offering not only a critique of contemporary capitalism but a description of a viable economic model that features both expansive social welfare guarantees, worker-managed firms, and the innovation that comes from market competition. Based on the real experiences of social democracy and the cooperative movement, we can envision a better world, and outline concrete steps to get there.
432 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication September 29, 2026
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July 24, 2026The NY Times' conservative columnist gave Sunkara a friendly one-hour interview. Sunkara said, "There needs to be profitability in order to have something to redistribute." Sunkara thinks the economy must be capitalist. He supposes that the state could tax most of the profits from the firms and use the funds for lots of good things. The history of Yugoslavia, Sweden, and the Mondragon corporations in Spain demonstrate that such a scheme falls back to open capitalism.
Nor does Sunkara have any idea of socialism moving toward communism: overcoming divides between mental and manual work and between managing and being managed, narrowing wage differences and eroding the link between job and income.
And how do you get to socialism? Sunkara's recipe in practice is accumulating victories in elections. It didn't work for Salvador Allende in Chile! As the book heads toward its publication date, Sunkara writes columns urging Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to announce now for the 2028 presidential election.
(This is a "pre-review," based on Sunkara's writings and statements prior to publication of this book.)
Nor does Sunkara have any idea of socialism moving toward communism: overcoming divides between mental and manual work and between managing and being managed, narrowing wage differences and eroding the link between job and income.
And how do you get to socialism? Sunkara's recipe in practice is accumulating victories in elections. It didn't work for Salvador Allende in Chile! As the book heads toward its publication date, Sunkara writes columns urging Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to announce now for the 2028 presidential election.
(This is a "pre-review," based on Sunkara's writings and statements prior to publication of this book.)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to NetGalley and Verso Books for an advanced copy of this book.
While I appreciate a well-written dystopia as much as the next reader, I think it is important that leftists cast a vision of that better world we are supposed to think is possible. The Blueprint is a thought provoking and well researched attempt at casting said vision. Sunkara, Burgis and Beggs first take us through the successes and failures of the various command economies of the 20th century. Then, the authors offer their view of various economic sectors in their envisioned market socialism, attempting to answer common economist critiques of democratized economies. The picture the authors paint is not fully-automated, luxury space communism, but a world where regular people still work and budget, but have all the things necessary to thrive and share. Honestly, it's a world that is far easier for me to picture myself living in than fully-automated luxury.
While I appreciate a well-written dystopia as much as the next reader, I think it is important that leftists cast a vision of that better world we are supposed to think is possible. The Blueprint is a thought provoking and well researched attempt at casting said vision. Sunkara, Burgis and Beggs first take us through the successes and failures of the various command economies of the 20th century. Then, the authors offer their view of various economic sectors in their envisioned market socialism, attempting to answer common economist critiques of democratized economies. The picture the authors paint is not fully-automated, luxury space communism, but a world where regular people still work and budget, but have all the things necessary to thrive and share. Honestly, it's a world that is far easier for me to picture myself living in than fully-automated luxury.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5⭐️
Really fascinating content which was well written and researched
Really fascinating content which was well written and researched
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews