I think a lot of people imagine that as the us. U k, and other rich western countries, hincom countries, were deindustrializing, that all these jobs were moving to the global south. But actually, mexico has also been d industrializing for now over 30 years. South africa, you know, egypt and so on. All these countries have been industriaizing, even china, which, of course, is a really interesting case. And it should be said that te story in the west, or in the high income countries, of low growth, means that it's become more difficult to find work. That is just on a whole other level
Paris Marx is joined by Aaron Benanav to discuss why jobs are getting worse because the economy’s slowing down, not because technology is speeding up, and why that requires a vision of post-scarcity centered around human relationships instead of technological change.
Aaron Benanav is an economic historian and social theorist. He is a post-doctoral researcher at Humboldt University of Berlin and author of “Automation and the Future of Work.” Follow Aaron on Twitter as @abenanav.
Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter.
Find out more about Harbinger Media Network and follow it on Twitter as @harbingertweets.
Also mentioned in this episode:
- Prop 22 passed in California, stopping gig workers from becoming employees
- Paris explains the limits of a basic income, how Aaron’s book helps us think about the future, and the problems with luxury communism
- Aaron explains why automation isn’t wiping out jobs
- Aaron’s science fiction reading list: “The Dispossessed,” “The Word for World is Forest,” and “Always Coming Home” by Ursula K. Le Guin; “Red Star” by Alexander Bogdanov; “Hard to be a God” and “Noon: 22nd Century” by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky; “News from Nowhere” by William Morris; “Looking Backward” by Edward Bellamy; “The Conquest of Bread” by Peter Kropotkin; “Trouble on Triton” by Samuel R. Delaney; “Star Maker” by Olaf Stapledon; and “Utopia” by Thomas Moore.
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