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© 2025 PEP Talk: The Participatory Economy Podcast
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What would an alternative to capitalism actually look like? A Participatory Economy (also known as Parecon) is a model for a new democratic, fair and green economic system based on democratic planning of the productive commons by self-managing workplaces and neighbourhoods. It describes how a modern economy of millions of people can be organised around solidarity and cooperation instead of competition and greed. In this podcast, co-creator and economist, Robin Hahnel, is joined by fellow advocates Mitchell Szczepanczyk and Antti Jauhiainen to discuss questions and topics relating to a Participatory Economy, post-capitalism and how we can get there. Website: ParticipatoryEconomy.org
25 Episodes
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The international network for democratic planning held its first ever in-person conference. It took place in Montreal in July 2025 and members of the Participatory Economy Project attended and gave presentations. In this episode, PEP members will discuss what they thought of the event. The international network for democratic planning: https://www.indep.network/ INDEP yt channel: https://www.youtube.com/@INDEP-NetworkforDemocraticEcon/videos Support the show Website: https://www.Participatory...
What kinds of change are possible or desirable in the face of an imminent climate crisis? Can climate change be solved with economic system change - or are we too late for that? How deep are the trade-offs between values like democracy, efficiency, equity and sustainability? All these questions are discussed in this episode of PEP Talk. Support the show Website: https://www.ParticipatoryEconomy.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ParticipatoryEconomy Twitter: https://twitter.com/parecono...
The popular What’s Left of Philosophy podcast reviewed the post-capitalist model of a Participatory Economy in a recent episode. What did they think? What did they get right? What did they miss? Mitchell, Robin and Antti respond. Their original podcast episode: 76 | For and Against Participatory Planning & Economics https://pod.link/1544487624/episode/31482463f30a531308e53796a8e75250 What’s Left of Philosophy podcast is described as a theory podcast from the left. Four friends discuss p...
It’s an age-old question: reform or revolution? Or, to put it another way, can welfare states be a laboratory for social change? in this episode of PEP talk we discuss the Meidner plan in Sweden in the 1970s, the Finnish welfare state and any lessons we can draw for establishing a full scale Participatory Economy. Support the show Website: https://www.ParticipatoryEconomy.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ParticipatoryEconomy Twitter: https://twitter.com/pareconomy Facebook: https://w...
Does climate change mean the end of economic growth? How is value even measured and what does the term ‘economic throughput’ mean? Do we need to de-growth or a steady state economy? Do we need system change and to replace capitalism in order to prevent cataclysmic climate change? All these questions are discussed in this episode of PEP Talk. Support the show Website: https://www.ParticipatoryEconomy.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ParticipatoryEconomy Twitter: https://twitter.com/par...
Second of a two-part episode recorded in London, UK. Mitchell interviews Robin Hahnel about a variety of different topics relating to a Participatory Economy. Support the show Website: https://www.ParticipatoryEconomy.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ParticipatoryEconomy Twitter: https://twitter.com/pareconomy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParticipatoryEconomy Support Us: https://www.paypal.com/donate/…
First of a two-part episode recorded in London, UK. Mitchell interviews Robin Hahnel about a variety of different topics relating to a Participatory Economy. Support the show Website: https://www.ParticipatoryEconomy.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ParticipatoryEconomy Twitter: https://twitter.com/pareconomy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParticipatoryEconomy Support Us: https://www.paypal.com/donate/…
PEP Talk host Mitchell interviews games designer Michael Hicks about his new game ‘Dissent on Mars’, where players can choose and experiment with the economic system they want for their colony on planet Mars. Players can choose between capitalism, central planning and democratic planning, which is based on and inspired by the Participatory Economy model. Wishlist Now on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2138560/ Official Website: https://dissentonmars.com Support the show Website: ht...
Why do we need prices in an economy and how are they generated differently in a Participatory Economy compared to a Capitalist Economy? This episode of PEP Talk is all about prices. What are “indicative prices'' in the annual participatory planning procedure? What are opportunity costs, social costs and “externalities”? What’s the problem with prices generated in capitalist economies and how are they more accurate in a Participatory Economy? Support the show Website: https://www.Participator...
Karl Marx is the most cited author in the world. But what would Marx think of our post-capitalist vision of a Participatory Economy? In this episode Robin and Mitchell look at what Marxism is and how Marx relates to a Participatory Economy, an economy where workers self-manage their workplaces and keep the fruits of their labour. Support the show Website: https://www.ParticipatoryEconomy.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ParticipatoryEconomy Twitter: https://twitter.com/pareconomy Fac...
Can a post-Capitalist socialist Economy exist without numbers? There are those who think it can. In this episode Mitchell, Robin and Antti are joined by accountant Anders Sandström (Author of Anarchist accounting) to discuss the topic of numbers in a socialist economy. Do we need numbers to measure the true social costs and opportunity costs of goods and services? Can everything be quantified, are there some things that simply can’t? Or are we doomed as Mark Twain once said to know ‘The Pri...
Mitchell and Antti talk with Sean Michael Wilson about his graphic novel about a Participatory Economy, called “PareComic: The Story of Michael Albert and Participatory Economics”. 2023 marks the 10th anniversary of PareComic. What inspired him to write it? How has it faired? And what have been people’s reactions to it? Introduction by Noam Chomsky: “Parecomic is a graphic novel about something that affects us all: the system we live in—what’s wrong with it, and how we might be able change i...
In terms of strategy, how can we move towards a Participatory Economy? Robin, Mitchell and Antti discuss strategy to move towards a post-capitalist economy that’s free, greener and fairer, we call a Participatory Economy. What do you think the best strategy or the best strategies are? leave a comment below and let us know. Support the show Website: https://www.ParticipatoryEconomy.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ParticipatoryEconomy Twitter: https://twitter.com/pareconomy Facebook: ...
The book A Participatory Economy (AK Press, Hahnel) was released in October 2022. It presents a coherent alternative to capitalism. Thomas Piketty describes it as: “A key contribution to the on-going debate on democratic and participatory socialism. A must read!” This is the final part of a three-part interview with the author, economist and activist, Robin Hahnel, discussing the final chapters of his book on long-term participatory planning, including investment, development planning and t...
The book A Participatory Economy (AK Press, Hahnel) was released in October 2022. It presents a coherent alternative to capitalism. Thomas Piketty describes it as: “A key contribution to the on-going debate on democratic and participatory socialism. A must read!” This is part two of a three part interview with the author, economist and activist, Robin Hahnel, discussing the middle third of the book on work and income, balanced jobs, annual planning, externalities and reproductive labour. T...
The book A Participatory Economy (AK Press, Hahnel) was released in October 2022. It presents a coherent alternative to capitalism. Thomas Piketty describes it as: “A key contribution to the on-going debate on democratic and participatory socialism. A must read!” This is part one of a three part interview with the author, economist and activist, Robin Hahnel, discussing the first chapters in the book on his motivation for writing the book, clarifying the goals of a desirable economy and why...
Project Cybersyn, or ‘Cyber Socialism’, was an early attempt at democratic planning in Chile from 1971 to 1973 during the Salvador Allende government. The main goal was to use computers to do allocation of resources and to devolve decision-making power within industries to workplaces. How does Project Cybersyn relate to a Participatory Economy, and what lessons can we learn? Support the show Website: https://www.ParticipatoryEconomy.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Participator...
What we now call a Participatory Economy has gone through various names over the years. Some call the post-capitalist system ‘Parecon’ for short, others ‘Participatory Economics’. What’s the history of these names, which are better or worse, and why does a name even matter? Support the show Website: https://www.ParticipatoryEconomy.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ParticipatoryEconomy Twitter: https://twitter.com/pareconomy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParticipatoryEconomy Sup...
Any future socialist economy, like a Participatory Economy, would still need to do trade with other countries. By what rules would a Participatory Economy engage in trade and investment with other capitalist or non-capitalist economies? How would trade be organised in a way that is consistent with our values of equity, self-management, solidarity and ecological sustainability? Support the show Website: https://www.ParticipatoryEconomy.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ParticipatoryEcono...
Is a Participatory Economy really practical or is it just a pipe dream? Can citizens through their workers’ councils and neighbourhood councils really cooperate in annual planning to coordinate their activities themselves, without any markets, or without central planning? Support the show Website: https://www.ParticipatoryEconomy.org YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ParticipatoryEconomy Twitter: https://twitter.com/pareconomy Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParticipatoryEconomy Suppo...
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