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Participatory budgeting: When government really is by the people

by Shari Davis, Alexander Kolokotronis, Loriane Ngarambe, Adam Simpson

This week we are talking about deepening democracy in our communities through participatory budgeting and participatory decision making more broadly. read more
Democracy & Governance
John Oliver on "Last Week Tonight" discusses workplace automation

What John Oliver Gets Wrong About Robots and Jobs

by Adam Simpson

The darkly entertaining “Last Week Tonight” segment on workforce automation lacked a systemic critique of the power dynamics of automation and the environmental costs of relentless growth. read more
Democratic Ownership Environment & Energy
Our Children's Trust lawsuit plaintiffs from Washington state

Our “fighting chance” against climate change

by Gus Speth

In this Yes! magazine interview, the Next System Project co-chair and senior fellow talks about his role in a lawsuit filed by a group of young people against the U.S. government for its inaction on climate change. read more
Environment & Energy
Amazon New York City protest

Without Amazon, New York can now do economic development right

by Isaiah J. Poole

There is an opening to make the city’s emerging solidarity economy a viable alternative to the tactic of using tax giveaways to woo large corporations. read more
Democracy & Governance
Financing the green transition

Financing the green transition

by Jackie Fielder, Adam Simpson, Carla Skandier, Kat Taylor

Meeting the goal of transitioning away from fossil fuels by 2030 will require new thinking about how to pay for that transition. On this episode of The Next System Podcast, we talk to a banker, a climate and public banking activist, and a Next System Project researcher about that challenge. read more
Environment & Energy
Minnesota community solar garden

Community Ownership of Power Administration: Putting utilities under public control

by Johanna Bozuwa

This proposal would create within the Green New Deal an agency explicitly designed to free communities from the unjust power of investor-owned utilities in a way that furthers decarbonization and transforms the economy so that it benefits everyone. read more
Environment & Energy
Worker cooperative

Worker cooperatives

by John Duda

A worker cooperative provides for both democratic ownership and democratic governance of the workplace, unlike traditional businesses in which ownership is often antagonistic to the workers who create value for the firm. read more
Democratic Ownership

From private profit to public alternatives

by Shahrzad Habibi, Thomas Hanna, Cat Hobbs, Adam Simpson

Public ownership is gaining ground against privatization—here’s why neoliberalism’s narrative is falling apart and why the people are taking back the economy. read more
Democratic Ownership Democracy & Governance Environment & Energy
Citizen power

The latent, unused power of citizens—and the production of public collateral

by Ann Pettifor

Citizens’ have untapped power to hold financial elites to account—and implement a Green New Deal. That power can be used to transform the balance between the people and the private finance sector. But first, we have to break through the fog surrounding the monetary system. read more
Money & Banking