The Pluralist Commonwealth

The Pluralist Commonwealth is a systemic model, developed and refined over the last forty years by political economist and historian Gar Alperovitz, which attempts to resolve theoretical and practical problems associated with both traditional corporate capitalism and traditional state socialism. A central emphasis is the reconstruction of communities--and the nation as a community--from the ground up. Hence, it might also be called a Community-Sustaining System. The term “Pluralist Commonwealth,” however, is offered to stress the inevitability—for functional as well as scale reasons—of different (plural) institutional forms of wealth democratization. This is something not commonly recognized in discussions of alternative systemic models which often tend to focus narrowly on the simple polarity of state ownership versus worker-ownership, or state versus self-managed firms.

In general, community and democracy, the model holds, require changing and democratizing the way in which wealth is owned and managed. Although worker-owned and self-managed firms play a role in the design, much broader structural strategies based on community-based variations of the Mondragón model are utilized in key areas, and in connection with significant intermediate scale enterprise. Larger public firms (and joint public/worker firms) are brought into focus for very large scale industry. High tech start-ups and small private local firms are included in the model. The approach also accepts the utility of certain forms of markets in some areas along with participatory economic planning in others. Attention is paid at all levels to the de facto political power and cultural implications of alternative institutional approaches.

An evolving mix of wealth-holding institutions is projected. Over time a fundamental shift in the ownership of wealth would slowly move the nation as a whole toward greater equality. Among other things the changes would also help finance a reduction in the workweek so as to permit greater amounts of free time, thereby bolstering both individual liberty and democratic participation. As population continues to grow, the model also moves in the direction of, and ultimately projects, a long-term devolution of the national system to a form of regional reorganization and decentralization—a strategic move important not only to democracy and liberty, but to the successful democratic management of ecological and other pressing issues. Along with the strong affirmation of community, the concept of ‘subsidiarity’—that as a rule functions should be kept at the lowest level possible, moving only to higher levels when absolutely necessary—is a guiding principle throughout. Although the primary focus is on U.S. problems and possibilities, the central features of the model suggest applications for countries other than the United States.

This site is intended to serve as a living archive, reporting on research and ongoing developments related to the Pluralist Commonwealth, its economic, cultural and political theory, and its specific elements as they evolve. The site is part of an expanding Democracy Collaborative project designed to advance alternative systems thinking in the twenty first century. The site is curated by staff of the Collaborative.