At a distance, capitalism is a marvel. Without planning, innovation thrives, competition lowers prices, and resources flow to where they’re needed.

Participatory Capitalism - by Adam Ard

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2024-11-24 23:00:04

At a distance, capitalism is a marvel. Without planning, innovation thrives, competition lowers prices, and resources flow to where they’re needed. But zoom in, and you’ll see cracks. For many individuals, capitalism is failing.

Many Americans are trapped, living paycheck to paycheck, with wages that hardly reflect the wealth they generate for their employers. They trade their time for money, a poor exchange when that money barely covers the basics.

Meanwhile, those directly engaged with capitalism—entrepreneurs, investors, and business owners—reap far greater rewards. They earn based on what they sell, not the hours they work. Their income grows passively, making them wealthy and free.

Yet employees, the backbone of the economy, are cut off from the buying and selling that creates independence and builds wealth. Most workers don’t realize what they’re giving up. Starting a business feels too risky, so they choose the stability of a steady job over the uncertainty of the free market. They trade 40 hours a week for enough to cover rent, food, and maybe some savings.

I propose an economic structure that uses incorporation to form capitalistic sandboxes—a fractal-like economy that mimics free-market dynamics also within organizations.