Courses and Workshops > Summer 2012

Alternative Economies

Marvin Brown

Thursdays June 7–28 1–3 pm Room 150 University Hall, 2199 Addison St Fee: $95

Syllabus Faculty Interview

Some thought that the fall of Soviet Communism left us with only one viable economic alternative: finance-driven capitalism. This alternative, however, has failed to adjust to the limits of growth and the need for community. In this course, we examine alternative economic proposals and practices that aim to “fix the future” and give priority to making provisions for all over the accumulation of property for the few. Some of these alternatives include a civic economy and a gift economy; worker-owned businesses and B (Benefit) corporations; new cooperatives and local currencies; and economies of sharing and open source practices.

Marvin Brown, Ph.D. is the author of Civilizing the Economy: A New Economics of Provision—selected as the P2P Foundation 2010 book of the year. He continues to teach business ethics at the University of San Francisco, has written extensively on the relationship between business and society, and now writes regularly on his blog: civilizingtheeconomy.com.