People get ready
Subtitle: the fight against a jobless economy and a citizenless democracy
By: Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols
Contributors: Nichols, John, 1959- author
Publisher: Nation Books
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 360
ISBN-13: 9781568585215
Subjects: Politics and government; Economic conditions; Democracy; Social conditions; Technological innovations; Labor
Description: The consequences of the technological revolution are about to hit hard: unemployment will spike as new technologies replace labor in the manufacturing, service, and professional sectors of an economy that is already struggling. The end of work as we know it will hit at the worst moment imaginable: as capitalism fosters permanent stagnation, when the labor market is in decrepit shape, with declining wages, expanding poverty, and scorching inequality. Only the dramatic democratization of our economy can address the existential challenges we now face. Yet, the US political process is so dominated by billionaires and corporate special interests, by corruption and monopoly, that it stymies not just democracy but progress. The great challenge of these times is to ensure that the tremendous benefits of technological progress are employed to serve the whole of humanity, rather than to enrich the wealthy few. Robert W. McChesney and John Nichols argue that the United States needs a new economy in which revolutionary technologies are applied to effectively address environmental and social problems and used to rejuvenate and extend democratic institutions. Based on intense reporting, rich historical analysis, and deep understanding of the technological and social changes that are unfolding, they propose a bold strategy for democratizing our digital destiny--before it's too late--and unleashing the real power of the Internet, and of humanity.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: welcome to the future; title: Into the maelstrom; title: A jobless economy?; title: Citizenless democracy; title: Democratic infrastructure; title: Overcoming the democratic disconnect; title: A democratic agenda for a digital age; title: Statistical appendix / R. Jamil Jonna.