5 ms·
An interesting example of this is the modern Israeli kibbutz. These are literal socialist collectives [1] that function as actors in the capitalist economy. And
by azernik 9y ago
An interesting example of this is the modern Israeli kibbutz. These are literal socialist collectives [1] that function as actors in the capitalist economy. And a lot of them are quite good at it! It may be hard to motivate innovation in a nation-size egalitarian society, but it seems to work quite well in an economic unit where everyone knows everyone else and you personally know, or at least recognize, everyone who benefits from your innovation. (And they know you and recognize your accomplishments, which is also a big motivator.)
[1] In the ideologically pure case, which is a common case but not universal or even the majority.
- Animats 9y agoThat's a scaling issue. Communes work well up to about 100 people. Today's larger kibbutz is more like a company with worker housing. "Differential pay was introduced into the kibbutz structure; management has become increasingly professionalized; and the community and business structures have been separated"[1] [1] http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/history-and-overview-of-the-kibbutz-movement http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/history-and-overview-of-...
- azernik 9y agoHence the "ideologically pure" caveat; there is a fascinating subset of kibbutzim which make enough money to essentially function as post-scarcity economies (making things like Humvee armor add-ons for the Americans, or high-end vending machines for e.g. movie rentals). Those have been able to stay ideologically pure by being more effective players in a capitalist system [1], and once they reach that state they are able to maintain it through social forces. [1] which of course creates some serious cognitive dissonance for all involved