A Critique of Work: Between ecology and socialism

This essay identifies the structural changes needed to enable widespread democratic participation and sustainable development. Civilising globalisation implies not only a re-localisation of the economy but also fostering a variety of social bonds outside the mainstream market; which may include alternative social practices to diminish the wage relationship and create new production and consumption models. The best strategy for moving beyond the wage-based society lies in a synergy between three measures - reduced working hours, guaranteed income, and the development of alternatives to wage labour and composite economy practices. Different forms of guaranteed income or material security have pride of place in this strategy because they help prioritise activities with intrinsic value and narrow the sphere of economic value creation.