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 • The property question

Posted by arthur at 2006-12-05 09:55 PM
The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) has just released a study on the World Distribution of Household Wealth: From p26 of the download:


Half the world's adult population has less than 1% of total (household) wealth.

The top 1% owns almost 40 times as much as the bottom 50%.

The average member of the top 10% has 3000 times as much as the average member of the bottom 10%.

The average member of the top 1% has 13,000 times as much as the average member of the bottom 10%.


The survey data on which most of the estimates are based under-represent the rich and completely exclude the super-rich. (p30)


I've only skimmed through the 70 page pdf. A lot of the (immense) statistical difficulties are spelled out.


Some major conceptual problems not considered are the increasingly peripheral nature of "household" wealth compared to the actual engine of capital accumulation for the sake of accumulation, the reflection of (not yet privatized) capital ploughed into "public investment" in the rental income and debt portions of national accounts without showing up as "assets" and the huge distortions arising from both taxation incentives and the operations of financial markets that make it difficult to value assets in the means of production, let alone their bewildering distribution.


Nevertheless the picture for "household" wealth is clear enough to demonstrate both that there are unsustainable global inequalities and that there is still a long way to go before the stratification among the people who don't run the world ceases to be an important factor inhibiting them from taking power from the tiny few who do.


It seems fairly natural that conservative ideology and a belief that everything is hopeless and nothing can be done would be fairly widespread in such a manifestly absurd social system. There is an obvious material base for hysterical opposition to globalization, democratic revolution and development generally - "where will it all end" as the reactionaries say.


 But I am still puzzled as to why the "property question" raised to the forefront by Marxist Communism is still so completely absent from even subterranean discourse.
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 • Re: The property question

Posted by tomb at 2006-12-07 08:07 PM
yes equally fascinated. (this may seem a bit disjointed but haven't had much time)

I think perhaps those in advanced capitalist countries want a more interesting and challenging life and are not individually focused on property. I know this doesn't answer the question as to why property has not been raised, but is it something to do with no party? Individuals are looking at something different. As a group it is obvious that to move things forward then the  property question is crucial.  If you don't control  the  economy then you cannot effect any meaningful change.

If you are not looking at the future and a program (the big picture) then this question can be avoided. There is a lot of responsibilty in running an economy and most workers don't seem quite ready to run a company, although we know they already do. The huge difference for me is not taking it but actually wanting it. At the minute we are talking about taking capitalism and who would want it other than the bourgoisie? If there is no picture of transition then it seems reasonable to leave them to it.

In another thread there is discussion about what would be possible under socialism and what is socialism. I haven't had time but mean to rejoin that discussion and think that who controls the ecomony and how they control it and run it is the crux of the matter. Which is the most efficient and dynamic system? Which system provides the most freedom.
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 • Re: The property question

Posted by kerrb at 2006-12-19 08:10 PM
arthur puzzled:
But I am still puzzled as to why the "property question" raised to the forefront by Marxist Communism is still so completely absent from even subterranean discourse.

With regard to the extreme world wide disparities in wealth and ownership documented in the UN Report I think the general reaction is that socialism / communism has been tried and failed and that we can donate to the poor through world vision and similar organisations or go on anti-US demos led by pseudo leftists. If there is no movement to get involved in, like in Spain in the 1930s, then how do you get involved? It's hard.

With regard to "intellectual property", an area in which it is relatively easy to get involved there is a huge battle already started and getting bigger all the time.

I would like to write more here about the intellectual property struggle.

Thinking out loud here about where to put it.

My inclination is not to put it in this thread because the intention of this thread is broader than IP

I should perhaps put it in the new dotcommunist manifesto topic, which is about the merging of ideas between the communist manifesto and the free software movement. I think it belongs there. Eben Moglen and Richard Stallman are at the forefront of the intellectual property struggle. It would be better to discuss both the theory and practice of the IP struggle rather than attempt to separate them.
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Bill Kerr
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 • Re: The property question

Posted by kerrb at 2006-12-22 07:54 AM
In reading Benkler about the information economy, zack exley, asks:
Why apply this thinking only to the information economy?
update:
And here he calls for revolution:
Humanity is literally on fire — we have ignited like a match head. From our perspective, we live out our microscopic lives watching just one of the first milliseconds of the process in fantastic slow motion. But from the Earth’s perspective: after billions of years of relative peace, suddenly there is this fury — cities sprouting up, industries encrusting the surface of whole regions, transportation and communication networks winding around the planet like it’s a ball of twine, and the exponentially growing sparks of our wars. Have you ever seen one of those super high-speed videos of a match lighting up? It starts with a few small crackles, then just a few sparks — so much happens before the flame comes. Imagine the last 500 years as just that very first instant.
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Bill Kerr
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 • Re: The property question

Posted by arthur at 2006-12-26 08:09 AM

Fascinating article. Clearly does raise the property question and in circles with opposite views on other themes.

Author has interesting bio

PS Am looking forward to following up much more on these themes and links which are central for medium and long term but am currently still having difficulty keeping head above water on Iraq etc which is particularly acutely in need of analysis just at this moment.

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