Capitalist crisis:search roundtable
I attended this Search roundtable discussion on the capitalist and environmental crisis. Papers were most interesting; access them here.
http://www.search.org.au/projects/roundtables/roundtable-iv/sydney
Session 1 – The Crisis & Australia
How did it happen? Will Australia suffer less than other OECD countries? What should be done to prevent working Australians from losing their homes?
Assoc Prof Steve Keen, University of Western Sydney
II How globalised is the Australian economy? Which economic policy options are available to Australian governments in response to the crisis? Should the Federal Government recommit to full employment as an explicit policy goal? How might this work in practice?
Assoc Prof Peter Kriesler, University of NSW & Director of the Society of Heterodox Economists
III How should the finance sector be reformed? Should it be reduced in size relative to the rest of the economy? What role can regulation, government banks, remutualisation and community banking play in creating a more stable, fairer financial system?
Ann Catling, economist
Session 2 – The Crisis & the Global Economy
I Does the crisis spell the end of the unfettered free trade model? Should developing countries focus on domestic or regional development strategies? What would fair trade and investment look like in a post-neoliberal era? Dr Patricia Ranald, Australian Fair Trade and Investment Network founder
II What role has China played in the global economy in recent decades? How has the crisis affected China? How has the Chinese Government responded? What are some of the major obstacles to China’s future economic development? Anzetse Were, Masters student in Political Economy, University of Sydney
III Ecological economists argue that the only sustainable economy is one that is not addicted to endless growth in a finite planet – what Herman Daly calls a ‘steady-state economy’. But what would a steady-state economy look like? How would it differ from the current economy? What would need to happen to make a transition from our current growth-dependent and non-sustainable economy to a steady state economy with full employment and Green jobs in Australia, and globally? Geoff Evans, Newcastle University
capitalist crisis severe
