Gintis' argument is, however, drawn on evidence that mostly says that coops are not as good at extensive, material intensive growth as commercial corporations, since that is the dominant form of growth over the past fifty years.

This suggests that he is refighting the last war rather than fighting the next. Being good at extensive, material intensive growth is not going to be as handy a trait to have over the next fifty years.

And indeed, the "markets" that most of the very poorest low income nations need are not the "license for corporations to run amok" so-called "markets", but rather well regulated local food markets in agrarian producing areas, supported by grower cooperatives to maintain local roads to the markets and run credit unions and government job guarantee health clinics, schools, and agricultural proving fields and extension.


I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.