Joel Cawley

The Fifth Paradigm Joel Cawley

Most of our current political and economic discussions don't reflect the realities of the 21st century. There are deep underlying shifts that are basically unstoppable. Coal is not coming back. Neither are our manufacturing jobs. China will continue to grow. Our "isms" are 19th century relics. We need to stop looking backward and start building our future. In the course of our history we have lived through four distinct socioeconomic paradigms. From our founding through the end of the Civil War we were an agricultural society. With the rejection of slavery and the growth of the industrial sector we evolved into our second paradigm. When that paradigm collapsed in the early 1930s we redesigned the economy and created our third paradigm. We eventually rejected that paradigm in the late 1970s and put in place our latest, known as neoliberalism. Neoliberalism was fully embraced by both parties and propagated around the globe. Unfortunately, it has been an utter failure. It's time for our Fifth Paradigm. This isn't about capitalism vs. socialism. Both those terms have become expletives hurled at opponents or gang colors used to rally trolls. Instead of that archaic and broken frame, The Fifth Paradigm adopts a strategic perspective rooted in the primal socioeconomic drivers of value, power and people. The result combines progressive values and objectives with a deep understanding of business and economics. What emerges from that perspective is revelatory. The issues we face are deeper than most people realize. Data that is rarely in the public eye point to problems that are eerily similar to the years preceding the Great Depression, the rise of fascism and WWII. However, it also provides answers. Good answers. We can make this new economy work, not just for an elite few, but for everybody. We can use global benchmarks to create a "defensibly fair" tax policy. We can tame our runaway healthcare costs, making universal coverage possible with no increased taxes. We can create and unleash the economics needed for a vibrant green future. And, much, much more. Make no mistake, we are in a crisis. Nonetheless, there is a potential future that would be compelling for all of us and our planet. It can be found in the data. It can be found in our history. This book offers a vision for that Fifth Paradigm.