Michael Albert - No Bosses: A New Economy for a Better World

Participatory economics has been around for 30 years. Way too many people have contributed directly, much less indirectly, to properly acknowledge them all here. I can only mention those who have literally interacted with drafts of this book, who have contributed to particular formulations that it includes, or who provided a foundation on which it grew.

And with that constraint, I thank Lydia Sargent, who was there every step of the wayuntil now. Robin Hahnel, together with whom I first set out participatory economics and who has worked ever since incredibly productively and insightfully, advocating and refining it, particularly addressing the economics profession. Stephen Shalom, who has been a constant source of insight from the outset and who first developed the ideas that have become known as participatory polity. Cynthia Peters, who has also always been available for advice and correction and who with Lydia Sargent first developed the ideas that have become known as participatory kinship. Justin Podur, another confidant and critic and the initial author of what he liked to call polyculturalism, sometimes called Intercommunalism, sometimes participatory communalism. Peter Bohmer, a powerful ally from the beginning, always wise, always involved in the grassroots, always refining participatory economics as but one part of his multitudinous educational and activist pursuits. And Noam Chomsky. I have no way to tell just how much of participatory economics wouldnt exist without Chomskys example and his impact on myself, on Robin Hahnel, and really on everyone who has played a role in the participatory project. But likely, a whole lot of it.

And, lest these acknowledgments grow too long and my emotional unraveling at writing them grows too intense, my heartfelt thanks collectively goes as well to: Ezequiel Adamovsky, Lonnie Ray Atkinson, Jessica Azulay, Fintan Bradshaw, Jeremy Brecher, Paul Burrows, Leslie Cagan, Sandy Carter, Savvina Chowdhury, Jason Chrysostomou, John Cronan, Ron Daniels, Brian Dominick, Barbara Ehrenreich, Vince Emanuele, Mark Evans, Bill Fletcher Jr., Jerry Fresia, Andrej Grubacic, Todd Jailer, Antti Jauhiainen, Brian Kelly, Kathy Kelly, Mel King, Pat Korte, Joris Leverink, Meaghan Linick Loughly, Mandisi Majavu, David Marty, Daniel Marty, Bridget Meehan, Eugene Nulman, Harpreet Paul, Milan Rai, Nikos Raptis, Paulo Rodriguez, Eric Sargent, Anders Sandstrom, John Schall, Alexandria Shaner, Uruj Sheik, Juliet Shor, Chris Spannos, Nicholas Stylopoulos, Mitchell Szczepanczyk, Brian Tokar, Taylan Tosun, Tom Vouloumanos, Pat Walker, Tom Wetzel, Sean Michael Wilson, Florian Zollmann, and whoever I have managed to unintentionally not name, I hope with no ill effects.

There is another kind of contributor, people who preceded and otherwise never knew the participatory project but whose thoughts played a role in generating the values and commitments at the root of the project. Again the list is too long to present in full, but to not mention the following would feel too wrong to be party to. Mikhail Bakunin, Alexander Berkman, Murray Bookchin, Maurice Brinton, Cornelius Castoriadis, Shulamith Firestone, Emma Goldman, Andre Gorz, Peter Kropotkin, Alexandra Kollantai, Rosa Luxemburg, Anton Pannekoek, Rudolf Rocker, Sheila Rowbotham, Arundhati Roy, and Bertrand Russell.

I am getting older. It happens. So is Robin Hahnel getting older. That happens too. And I would like to thank my younger self and the younger Robin Hahnel and to apologize to each. There are some places in this book that I am pretty sure recirculate only modestly altered prior formulations whose origin I no longer even know. Was it me? Was it Robin? Was it both of us writing together? Was it someone else? Does it matter? I dont think so. I think what matters is whether the proposed economic vision has merit. Can it inform current pursuits? Can it contribute to ultimate aims? I hope it can.

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