Looking Forward. By Michael Albert and Robin Hahnel Go to Table of Contents 11. Conclusion and Transition

Pursuit Of Collective Self-management The struggle for change must always enhance workers' decisionmaking authority and increase workers' access to, understanding of, and utilization of information about their workplaces and the economy as a whole. Economic struggles in which workers participate as shock troops while "experts" monopolize decision making may win some short-run victories, but they will strengthen coordinator tendencies and not prepare workers to manage their own lives. Likewise, consumer struggles must seek not only to improve consumers' well being, but to develop their strength. Networks of consumer councils must campaign against ecological destruction and other inefficient and antisocial aspects of market systems as well as fighting against higher prices and unsafe products. Pursuit Of Solidarity Programs must steer producers to look beyond their own circumstances to the well-being of other producers and consumers as well. Programs that win gains for workers in one unit at the expense of other workers or consumers will not create the psychological or social conditions required to win participatory aims. Thus, participatory workplace programs might emphasize price controls as well as wage increases, product improvements as well as workplace health and safety, and corporate responsibility for neighborhood and regional well-being as well as job benefits that enhance the quality of work life. Similarly, consumer struggles should include demands not to cut wages as well as for price controls. Likewise, demands for better products should be coupled to demands for improved working conditions for producers. Definition Of Job Structures Workplace organizing must emphasize the desirability of equitable job complexes even while capitalist owners and coordinators obstruct their formation. As councils form they can begin to demand training in multiple skills and changes in technology to promote teamwork rather than fragmentation. It is also important that movement organizations and institutions incorporate participatory norms in defining their own work complexes and decision-making processes. Institutions that we control must serve as practical examples of the advantages of equitable, participatory arrangements. Deviation from participatory norms where we can do better is both hypocritical and demoralizing. It will not accomplish much to proclaim the virtues of equity and participation while establishing "progressive" institutions that embody hierarchical divisions of labor. Control Of Information A movement for participatory economics must democratize the use of computers and computer-recorded information. A consumer and producer movement that understands how computers can help their members keep abreast of information and affect decisions will be better able to pursue its goals than a movement that abandons these tools to technocrats. To ignore computer and information technology, or to assume that these technologies will automatically become democratized, will only ensure that they are dominated by coordinators, thereby diminishing the chances of attaining participatory aims. We envision consumer and producer councils beginning with computer networking and ultimately building facilities for participatory planning. Allocation Participatory movements must continually highlight the problems generated by markets and central planning. The blame for ecological destruction must be laid at the feet of market allocation and technocratic instrumentalism. The bankruptcy of central planning must be seen as the consequence of its obstruction of popular participation rather than an improper balancing of centralization and decentralization in a new technological era. Struggles to use participatory structures alongside markets and hierarchical planning can help demonstrate why participatory allocation will solve problems that markets and central planning create.