Why Capitalists Need Communists: The Politics of Flourishing

CUSP/CES Seminar w Charles Seaford
Guildford, 15 May 2019, 12noon

Brexit, the rise of populist politics and cries for radical reform grace our headlines on a daily basis. Britain faces huge challenges: inequality, public services under constant pressure, climate change —and in the long term the impacts of automation and artificial intelligence. At the same time, the political and economic elite seem to have reached an impasse: there is a sense that things can only get worse. In his new book, Why Capitalists Need Communists, CUSP co-investigator Charles Seaford demonstrates that this need not be, that radical, progressive change is possible and that the polarisation and nostalgia afflicting us is not inevitable.

Drawing on historical parallels, and over 50 interviews with experts in the fields of politics, business and finance, Seaford carefully builds the case for planning, redistribution and re-fashioned business and finance. With Britain standing at a crossroads, Why Capitalists Need Communists meets the challenges of the moment, and offers a convincing blueprint to overcome them, making this a must-read for anyone invested in our future.

About

Charles Seaford is a senior fellow at think tank Demos, Consultant to the World Future Council and Co-Investigator at the Centre for Understanding Sustainable Prosperity. He was formerly Head of the Centre for Wellbeing, an advisor at the Sustainable Development Commission and an organisational change consultant. He co-founded Prospect magazine and has an MBA from London Business School. As well as numerous papers for the New Economics Foundation, his most recent publications include: Is Wellbeing a useful concept for progressives? (Centre for Wellbeing in Public Policy, University of Sheffield, 2015), and Investment for a sustainable and inclusive economy—Proposed changes to UK law (CUSP, 2019).