This Machine Kills 439. Do Socialists Dream of Electric Institutions, Part 2 (ft. Aaron Benanav)
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Jan 7, 2026 In this discussion, Aaron Benanav, a political economy scholar and author, delves into envisioning post-capitalist frameworks without rigid blueprints. He critiques existing economic structures, advocating for flexible institutional designs. Topics include the necessity of markets for producer coordination, maintaining scarcity in a new economy, and rethinking monetary systems. Benanav emphasizes the importance of intrinsic motivation over profit and introduces innovative concepts like investment boards and technical associations as alternatives to traditional unions.
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Rooting Alternatives In Existing Traditions
- Aaron Benanav draws on utopian literature, Eastern Bloc experiences, and the socialist calculation debate to design institutions beyond abstract visions.
- He rejects blueprints but offers concrete, flexible institutional functions as starting points for experimentation.
Communal Allocation Has Deep Roots
- Benanav locates a longstanding anti-market tradition from Thomas More to Marx advocating communal allocation instead of markets and money.
- He argues this tradition shaped early socialist visions of a community-based allocation of resources.
Keep Markets For Producer Coordination
- Markets are crucial for organizing inter-firm linkages because producers need direct, specific supplier relationships.
- Benanav says markets should be retained for producer and consumer diversity while removing profit motives.
