Alex Williams: Where Did The Future Go? Power in Complex Economies

Today, I’m speaking with Dr. Alex Williams. Alex is co-author of the fantastically provocative book, titled: Inventing the Future: Postcapitalism and a World Without Work. He’s also coauthor of a forthcoming book titled Hegemony Now, which updates Antonio Gramasci’s theory of how power operates in societies in light of complexity science. 

 

When he’s not writing, he’s a lecturer at the University of East Anglia in the UK. 

 

Alex and I discuss his book on post capitalism, including things like full automation, universal basic income, and shortening the working week. 

 

We discuss the role of education in how it conditions our ability to imagine radically different futures, and we discuss specific policy ideas, like Thomas Piketty’s work on progressive taxation, Glen Weyl’s work on Radical Markets, and more broadly asking what can we do, from an institutional standpoint, to reclaim the vibrancy and vitality of our possible futures.