The Possibility of Profound Change in America

The collection of lectures and publications from the Schumacher Center for a New Economics represents some of the foremost voices on a new economics.

Gar Alperovitz believes that we are at a turning point in American history, in which systemic economic and environmental issues will be at the forefront of public interest. According to Alperovitz, people are sensing that, in the face of political and economic stagnation, change cannot come from just electing the right person, but from a concerted effort to reconfigure institutions on a systemic and local level. He is optimistic that the change will be for the better because much of "quiet work" for systemic change – such as worker-owned companies, community land trusts – has already been laid out. He ends his talk with an overview of the co-ops developing in Cleveland with the help of Democracy Coalition, emphasizing the concrete local actions that can lead to profound change.