Our guest today argues that we’re all operating under the biased rules of capitalism – so much that we might forget to step back and take stock of the situation.

Marjorie Kelly is the author of Wealth Supremacy: How the Extractive Economy and the Biased Rules of Capitalism Drive Today’s Crises (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, September 2023). The manifesto seeks to debunk myths and norms implicit in our capitalist way of life – among them, the myths that that there’s no end to wealth, that expanding capital is the most important goal, and that material gain comes at all other social or environmental expense.

Marjorie Kelly joins host Esty Dinur to talk about the dangers of an extractive economy, and how it is at the root of everything from the climate crisis to the corruption of democracy. Together, Kelly and Dinur envision what a non-extractive economic structure might look like.

About the guest: 

Marjorie Kelly is Distinguished Senior Fellow at The Democracy Collaborative, a national research and development lab for a democratic economy. Her previous books include The Making of a Democratic Economy (co-authored with Ted Howard), Owning Our Future: The Emerging Ownership Revolution, and The Divine Right of Capital. 

Kelly was previously a Fellow at the Tellus Institute, a nonprofit that researches environmental and social issues, where she cofounded an initiative to envision and advocate enterprise and financial designs that integrate social, environmental, and financial aims.

She was cofounder and for 20 years president of Business Ethics magazine. You can find more about her at her website, marjoriekelly.org, and follow her on Twitter at @marjorie_kelly.

Image courtesy Berrett-Koehler Publisher

Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here