Political Economy of Eco-sustainable Alternatives: Progressive and Equitable Futures

The title of this book clearly indicates that it is addressing central questions of our time. As it becomes increasingly clear that contemporary civilisation is heading for catastrophe on a global scale, with all the main strategies for reform either discredited or manifestly failing to achieve the hopes formerly held, fatalism seems unavoidable. That is, except for those who still strive to envision possible alternative historical societies—ones that offer some chance of avoiding ecological disaster, whilst at the same time carrying forward ‘progressive’ values of equality, democracy, and opportunities for personal flourishing. As Westra points out, we have moved from being assured ‘there is no alternative’ to the emergence of a plural literature insisting that there are many alternatives. Westra’s project is to explore each of the main alternative visions and subject them to critical scrutiny—with a view, presumably, to arriving at some more defensible vision. Westra notes that the experience of ‘formerly actually existing’ socialisms has turned many advocates of alternative societies away from Marx. His claim is that Marx has much more to offer than is widely assumed, but also recognises that at least some existent alternatives do, like him, derive much from Marx’s thinking.