Beloved Economies

Work isn’t working for the great majority of people.

Workers in the United States often juggle child care responsibilities with two or more jobs and unpredictable work schedules. Many jobs offer no set hours and few or no benefits, and employers often require workers to sign punitive nondisclosure contracts. In addition, many employees work in precarious at-will arrangements where employers can release them at any time for virtually any reason. Other employers offer no work guarantees in the rapidly expanding gig economy. In response, many American workers say they suffer high stress levels and burnout.

Work often contributes to strife at home, isolation and unhealthy coping mechanisms. Relentless work demands can produce chronic health conditions that sometimes lead to early death. And work often leaves too little time for more healthy and nurturing life pursuits. In addition, the economic framework in which work occurs damages the environment, as producers plunder forests and other resources, depleting collective natural wealth to enrich the few.

The US economy largely benefits the privileged few – but it doesn’t have to be that way.

In the simplest...