New Book Sets Path to End Poverty, Achieve Higher Employment, and Democratize Economies through Local Action

    HOUSTON, TX, June 24, 2014 /24-7PressRelease/ -- In his newly released "Economic Direct Democracy: A Framework to End Poverty and Maximize Well-Being" (2014), John Boik coaxes the reader beyond conventional economic thinking to see new possibilities for bold change. "We can end poverty, reach full employment, and address climate change, infrastructure decay, and other pressing issues," he says, "but we must be willing to consider new approaches."

The book counters the famous TINA quip from Margret Thatcher, "there is no alternative" to globalized capitalism and neoliberal economics, by showing how technological advances make it possible to design new, more democratic, and more equitable economic systems governed at the local level. The author just returned from presenting his findings at the global "Innovation in Governance" conference at the University of Pretoria, South Africa.

Boik, who holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences from the University of Texas, Health Sciences Center, Houston, and completed postdoctoral work at Stanford University, Department of Statistics, uses simulation models and analysis to explain how cities and regions can transform their local economies into powerhouses of production and creativity.

"Not only do alternatives exist to economic lethargy, environmental degradation, and rising inequality," Boik says, "but the desire for greater democratic control over economic decisions and the capacity of the Internet and smartphones to facilitate group decision-making make innovation inevitable."

Boik is "among the few bold intellectuals addressing core economic design issues," according to book endorsements. He offers "an important and pragmatic roadmap for advancing a new economic paradigm based on well-being and happiness."

Power is shifting from the national to the local, says Boik. "The new economy will receive greater direction from the grassroots up." In his computer simulations, small and medium sized businesses thrive, leading the way to stable and sustainable economic development. Family incomes rise, income inequality is reduced, and unemployment drops precipitously.

Boik predicts that in the years ahead, the economic mantra will shift from "maximize corporate profits" to "maximize public well-being." Much of this shift will occur due to local actions. "All nations face serious financial, social, and environmental challenges," he says, "and while efforts to address these problems at the national level are important, the most promising innovations might well occur at the city and regional levels."

Boik is founder of the Principled Societies Project, which is developing the local economic framework discussed in the book. For more information and to download a free PDF copy of "Economic Direct Democracy," please visit http://www.PrincipledSocietiesProject.org or write to John Boik at [email protected].

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