An ideology in power that favors workers must guide technological development. It determines whether we get a fairer world. Technological progress has not always meant better working conditions or higher wages for everyone. We need to develop innovations that help workers become better at their tasks, not just replace them with automation. Then technology would strengthen and complement the human workforce, instead of removing the need for it.
People-friendly ideology in power central
Such an ideology must guide political decisions. Society's institutions must ensure that workers share in the fruits of productivity through improved working conditions, improved wage-bargaining welfare, higher wages and more influence. This would boost productivity, welfare and democracy. If the government uses technology in the right way, it can create more good jobs and contribute to a more inclusive economy. Acemoglu and Johnsons research, which will receive the Swedish Riksbank's prize in economics in memory of Alfred E. Nobel in 2024, shows just this. Without an ideological will on the part of those in power to distribute resources fairly, we risk that technological progress only benefits the richest and most prosperous sections of society. How then does such an ideological will arise in power?
Meetings with free peoples sowed seeds
David Graeber and David Wengrow's book "The Dawn of Everything” provides historical context to this discussion. The colonizers' encounters with various developed, egalitarian and free peoples, especially in northeastern America, aroused widespread dissatisfaction with Europe's hierarchical, dictatorial and exploitative economy. This dissatisfaction influenced thinkers such as Rousseau and Marx, who in turn influenced welfare developments and labor movements from the 1800th century onwards.
The rise and fall of the grassroots
This gave birth to grassroots movements such as the temperance movement, the trade unions and the free churches. These drove social development and social democracy was born. This type of grassroots movement contributed to the major welfare reforms that raised productivity and welfare under Keynesianism after World War II. But when these movements professionalized and distanced themselves from the common people, around 1980, power took over again, reducing the people's share of the economic pie, even if this reduced productivity.
Workers unite
Now, more than ever, we need to organize again. We must increase collective public education. Protest the cuts to welfare, the deregulation of labor law, the reduction of the job-creating public sector and the curtailment of democracy. We have the power to influence! It's up to us grassroots. Together can we create the ideological framework that can steer technology development in a direction that benefits everyone, not just the rich and powerful.
More reading
The Royal Academy of Sciences' text on the 2024 economics prize
Inspirational with a sensible Nobel Prize in economics!
Yes unlike the first ones who went to Milton Friedman or the 2022 prize who gave private banks carte blanche and said they were perfect whatever they did ( http://www.redjustice.net/underskott )
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Very well done. Good analysis 👍👍🤗👍
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There are, in and of themselves, some other sensible people who have also received the fake Nobel Prize, e.g. William Vickrey, Amartya Sen and Elinor Ostrom. But that doesn't prevent Bo Rothstein from being right - if a prize should go to the person who has done the greatest good to humanity, then a prize in economics is completely wrong: https://gemensam.wordpress.com/2015/10/28/det-falska-nobelpriset-antligen-utmanat/.
But ideology is born out of practice. Get down to business - fighting cutbacks, outsourcing and inequality - and the ideology will take shape.
Just