From August 1st through August 6th a group of activists, co-op developers and permaculturists gathered for an Economic Democracy Training with the Prout Research Institute in Marshall, North Carolina. As the inaugural in-person program, and with a newly constructed building, the training was a warm welcome to a group of 17 individuals, and focused on studying the principles and application of the Progressive Utilization Theory, or Prout, as a way to achieve economic systems change.
The women’s Self-Help Group circles multiplying in numbers and growing in economic and leadership strength is one of the practical examples of block-level planning which traditionally has been the domain of Prout, the alternative economic theory which P.R. Sarkar proposed to restructure society using equitable and humanist principles.
These days there is a big transition to worker-owned businesses, because the baby boomer business owners are all retiring. It’s called “the silver tsunami.” It’s about creating a secession plan, and empowering the workers. So this is something we’ve been able to work with.
While it has been over 80 years since the world philosopher, P.R. Sarkar suggested that in the future, scientific innovation would produce synthetic food in the form of tablets to help solve the food problems of the world, it appears that day is coming near
The publication of Growing a New Economy by Roar Bjonnes and Caroline Hargreaves[1] was a milestone in the history of Proutist literature because it was the first comprehensive introduction to Prout economics that firmly situated the Proutist agenda within the emerging New Economy Movement.
Since the late 1970s through 2020, writes Shontell, “compensation for chief executives rose 1,322 percent.” During that same period, however, annual worker compensation only rose by a paltry 18 percent. At the end of her editorial, Shontell asks: “Is [this] capitalism at its best? Or a bubble that’s finally ready to burst?”
Over the past year and a half, I have worked with several coastal towns in Maine to collectively identify and prioritize climate-action project areas to make the communities more resilient to the climate crisis. Coastal communities in Maine are facing significant climate change challenges, including flooding, severe storms, and socioeconomic effects.
By Shriraksha Mohan India is a pluralistic society with a long history of coexistence among people of various languages, customs, traditions and religions. “Unity in Diversity” is a time-honored value […]
Inflation has been a cause for anxiety and real difficulty. Especially in low and middle-income households and among the elderly, people feel powerless as they watch their living standards erode. […]
Economic systems have constantly evolved, and have been influenced by human needs, socio-cultural norms, historical events, and technological innovations of their time. In the 21st century, tremendous innovations in digital technologies […]
Since the publication of Schumacher’s green classic Small is Beautiful in 1973, the world has not become any more sustainable or greener. Despite the popularity of everything green, the corporations are ahead of the game and finding new loopholes to pollute and to pay less tax to maximize profit.
By Nina Shapiro As Proutists, we must embrace humanitarian approaches to social justice for all beings, to protect and defend the innocent and the vulnerable, and to focus on our commonality rather than our differences. We are one human family and we must embrace this wholeheartedly in order to survive, to move together into a preferred future and to evolve as a species.
By Rebekah Moan One of the aspects that makes Prout so unique and revolutionary is that it’s an entire systems-change phenomenon. It’s a theory, a practice, a movement, a guide for living that focuses on creating a healthy, harmonious society that values all beings. One tangible way to do that is to create a space where people are in harmony with themselves. That’s exactly what sisters Priyanka and Chirasmita Kompella have accomplished with their business Zero Proofed.
By Dada Vedaprajinananda To see this article as a video with the Author – Dada Vedaprajinananda Click here An August 21, 2023, article in The New Yorker magazine by Ronan […]
The Progressive Utilization Theory or Prout is an alternative, holistic socio-economic system to replace the failing capitalist model of economy. With an emphasis on rational utilization and equitable distribution of […]
A recent report by the United Nations: “Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction” with contributions from hundreds of diverse academics and experts from across the planet argues that we will be in a state of complete system failure by 2050 as well as climate collapse. That means that the intertwining systems of economics, transportation, government, education, science, and industry will cease being of any service to human and planetary welfare. By 2050 Major Climate Collapse will be irreversible.
In a Proutist society, local and state agencies will establish a system of “no persons or families left behind” in terms of housing, reflecting the fundamental spirit of moving together as one human society. Community land trusts, housing cooperatives, or direct public investment in housing may be among the approaches used.
The invasion of Ukraine, the indiscriminate destruction of civilian infrastructure, and the killing of innocent people are evil acts deserving of our unreserved condemnation. The fact that other powers, such as the United States, have engaged in similar actions at various times is no mitigating circumstance.
The U.S. locks up more people than any other country in the world. In 2017, U.S. federal and state prisons housed over 2 million people, or 1.6 percent of the adult population. The U.S. has five percent of the world’s population and has created 25 percent of the world’s prisoners.
With much of the world’s population in residential lockdown today, deeply thoughtful and concerned people throughout the world are wondering what has brought the world to this current disturbing state of affairs, and what are the immediate and the long-term solutions.
While initiatives like ‘AmaZen’ claim to cater to spiritual wellbeing of employees, Amazon’s online business model has left communities bereft of local self-reliance, ruptured human connections, and kept people away from finding meaningful work that pays livable wages.
It is often difficult to judge whether different proposals and theories in government, social media, or corporate media are credible and deserving of our support. Prout’s focus is always on what is benevolent for humanity and the planet. For this reason, we suggest using the following eleven criteria as a tool to help evaluate the worthiness of real world proposals.
The possible decline of Neoliberalism stems from a number of factors. At the most practical level, neoliberalism has failed to produce the economic security that its adherents promised. This failure, in turn, has led to a deeper understanding of how markets actually work.
Dear Representative Ocasio-Cortez, We, the members of Prout Alliance, strongly support your work in the US Congress as a progressive leader and a fierce advocate for social and economic justice. We are inspired by your courage and eloquence in responding to the insults and hate speech from Mr. Yoho.
All Black lives in the past have mattered. All Black lives matter now. All Black lives will always matter. Our country is facing a moment of reckoning. We, at Prout Alliance, mourn the loss of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks, and the countless individuals before them, who have had their lives cut short by racism and the violence it brings. A civilized society must not tolerate such acts of violence.
The Prout parliament game has four parts. Part 1 is an explanation of core Prout ideas in a futures context. Part 2 is a futures wheel process that develops the implications of key emerging issues. Part 3 is athe development of a checklist that is used to informed decision-making. And part 4...
Prout advocates a three-tiered economy including a privately-owned small business sector, a sector of cooperatives where most production and commerce will take place, and a sector of large government owned and operated firms. Let’s look into the rationale for each sector.
Human trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery — an extraordinarily lucrative illegal enterprise that is going on right now in small towns and big cities across the United States and around the globe. Although this is not part of the essential minimum requirements of Prout, strictly speaking, it goes to the core of economic and social justice and public safety for every community.
Among the basic necessities identified by Prout, education, is unique. Food, water, health care and shelter are required for survival. Without education, however, people may survive while their society stagnates or even degenerates. In a well-functioning educational system, individuals can both thrive and grow.