What are the pros and cons of state owned businesses?

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Odin
I'm suprised Fezzie hasn't f*cked up this thread yeat.

My ideas of Anarcho-socialism is a way to get over the lag time Spiffor was talking about. If you have read the Sci-Fi novel Blue Mars you know the economic ideas I am talking about.

Have you figured out what to do with the workers of your companies after the companies go broke yet?

[Az]

They can form a new co-op I guess.

[Odin]

Originally posted by Azazel
They can form a new co-op I guess.

NO! DUH! Or they can join other co-ops.

[Az]

I still have no idea how would workers of the "K-mart" coop decide on the future of the company.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by Azazel
I still have no idea how would workers of the "K-mart" coop decide on the future of the company.

About the same way the citizens of a country decide of its future. This concept called "democracy" was very alien 250 years ago, and only a few illuminati thought it could work

[GePap]

At this point in time and technology, I think that only a few key sectors should be centralized: most of the economy would run more smoothly in private hands, with regulations, as Skywalker said so long ago.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by Odin


NO! DUH! Or they can join other co-ops.

Who pays for them to form the new co-ops?

[Kidlicious]

I'm trying to get information from the decentralized economy camp so that I can see who is accountable in their system and who recieve the rewards for taking risks in their system.

In capitalism individuals take REAL risks and they are both accountable for loss and rewarded for success. In the centrally planned system society takes the risks and society is accountable for the loss and rewarded for success. I can't really tell how this is worked out in the decentralized system. That's the kind of information that I need. For example in Odin's system workers of failed companies can just go join another co-op or start another one. There is no cost for the risks that that co-ops take. If the co-ops are successfull they will have to pay for the losers to start up new co-ops or let them join theirs; so there is little or no reward for success.

[DanielXY]

So in a democratic company the workers can vote on the financial thingys like how much the wage is and such? If the company fails and goes bancrupt you can join another one?
Somehow I doubt that could work. I mean where is the incenitive to make your company successfull? You could just vote for maximum wage till the company runs out of money and goes bancrupt. Ok you loose your job ... so what? You made a good bunch of money ... join the next company and repeat step 1 ...

[Az]

Originally posted by GePap
At this point in time and technology, I think that only a few key sectors should be centralized: most of the economy would run more smoothly in private hands, with regulations, as Skywalker said so long ago.

But with more and more technology emerging, and more and more logistical tools appearing, the strengths of a centralized economy will grow. In my opinion, they already outweigh the market for the goals I forsee for a government. All I want is that people will be generally open to the idea.

[Imran Siddiqui]

He said that it could be done

I said it could be done... I didn't say it would work . But it'd be a spectacular mess.... worth getting the popcorn out to watch .

[Az]

backtracking doesn't suit you well, Imran.

[johncmcleod]

Elder civil servants, for example.

What are those?

[Az]

Originally posted by johncmcleod


What are those?

Various possibilities. Former judges, for example. Teachers, people from the academic world, etc. etc.

[johncmcleod]

I think state-run companies can work, but the question is, where's the incentive for the company to do well? If you make it so the members of the company get better wages (like I previously suggested without thinking) it's just like a private business. BTW, why is everyone talking about how the Soviet Union didn't work? It did work, for a while they were the second most powerful nation in the world.

I still want to know how Sweden's system worked. Certain industries were state-run there and there wasn't a disaster.