Mediaboss Marketing

As the school year begins, the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, the youth movement of the Socialist Equality Party, calls on all young people to turn to the working class and take up a fight for the elimination and eradication of the coronavirus pandemic.

Since the beginning of the pandemic more than a year and a half ago, a staggering 4.5 million people have died worldwide, according to official figures, including more than 650,000 in the United States alone.

Despite the lying claims of politicians and the media, the pandemic is far from over. Fueled by the highly infectious Delta variant, new cases in the US have surged to their highest levels since January: more than 164,000 a day. The daily death toll is a staggering 1,200 people.

Hospitals and ICUs are again overwhelmed with scores of critically ill patients including, most tragically, young people and children. Millions of unvaccinated children are currently being herded into crowded classrooms, even as new cases and hospitalizations of children are at record levels. There have already been numerous tragic deaths of teachers who have recently returned to school.

College campuses are also opening for in-person instruction, and there have already been widespread outbreaks. At Duke University, where 98 percent of students and 92 percent of faculty are vaccinated, 349 students and 15 faculty and staff tested positive just in the past week, forcing the university to end indoor dining. There have been similar outbreaks at the University of California Berkeley, and at the University of Michigan, every residence hall has reported cases.

The pandemic is the defining political experience for an entire generation of young people coming of age in the United States and internationally. It has profoundly altered every aspect of our lives, marking in the consciousness of millions the dividing line: before and after the pandemic began.

For young people, as for the working class as a whole, it is critical to draw the lessons of this experience: How did this catastrophe happen? Who is responsible? What must be done?

From the beginning of the pandemic, the ruling class rejected the necessary and viable measures to save livesglobally coordinated lockdowns, travel restrictions, universal testing and contact tracing, and the isolation of infected individualsbecause they infringed on the wealth of the capitalist class.

On the other hand, the rich profited enormously off the pandemic. The multi-trillion-dollar Wall Street bailouts of 2020 fueled an orgy of speculation, and the wealth of the oligarchy skyrocketed to unprecedented levels.

In the US, the policy of herd immunityallowing the virus to spread uncheckedwas spearheaded by the Trump administration. The fascistic conspiracies of Trump and his henchmen, which culminated in the January 6, 2021 coup attempt, were ultimately aimed at securing the removal of any restrictions on economic activity, no matter how minimal.

The Democrats, however, fully supported the back to work campaign in the spring of last year, which fueled the massive surge in the fall and winter. The Biden administration is now spearheading the reopening of schools, which will become petri dishes for the spread of the virus among children, teachers and the population as a whole.

Internationally, the same policy has been implemented in virtually every country, whether under outright fascists such as Bolsonaro in Brazil, or by nominally left or Social Democratic governments. While they might have tactical differences about how to proceed, the rival sections of the ruling class share the same ultimate aim: the protection of the wealth of the oligarchy.

The IYSSE calls for students and youth to fight for a policy of eradicating the virus, which would entail the immediate shutting down of non-essential production and the closure of the schools to stop the spread of the coronavirus and save lives, combined with emergency assistance to all those impacted.

Vaccination alone is not a strategy to stop the pandemic. Not only are millions of people still unvaccinated, including all children under the age of 12. Science shows that even vaccinated individuals can spread the virus, and there are alarming reports of breakthrough infectionsthat is, the illness and even death of individuals who have been vaccinated.

The global spreadwith new cases at near record levels of 650,000 a day, with daily deaths at nearly 10,000means that the virus is continuously evolving into more infectious and vaccine-resistant variants, like the Delta variant.

Contrary to the claims of the representatives of the ruling class, it is not necessary to live with the virus. Scientists have explained that coordinated action on a world scale could and still can eliminate and eradicate the virus in a matter of months. Indeed, this is the only rational, scientific path for ending the pandemic.

The development of a comprehensive, global campaign to eradicate the virus requires the intervention of the international working class, the revolutionary social force to which students must turn.

While the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged out of natural biological processes, the social catastrophe caused by its uncontrolled spread demonstrates the irrationality of a system based on the private ownership of the means of production and the division of the world into competing nation-states.

In the broadest sense, the pandemic is a symptom; the disease is capitalism, which subordinates all of society to the profit motive and is organically incapable of implementing a rational response to the pandemic.

This is true of every other crisis facing humanity, including the growth of fascism, massive levels of inequality, the drive towards world war, and climate change, itself a product of the subordination of society to the interests of finance capital. The issues that concern the youth of today are therefore inseparable from the broader issues confronting the working class.

The development of a genuine socialist movement in the working class requires a break with all of the existing political institutions of bourgeois society, including the Democratic Party and its appendages, left organizations such as the Democratic Socialists of America.

The experiences of millions of young people who supported Bernie Sanderswho liquidated his campaign at the height of the crisis in 2020, and promptly threw his support behind Bidendemonstrates that it is impossible to reform the Democratic Party, a party of Wall Street and the military.

The experience of the pandemic also demonstrates the reactionary character of the politics of racial and gender identity, promoted heavily on the campuses. The claim that the fundamental dividing line is race, gender or sexual orientation has been refuted by a pandemic that has devastated all workers, in the US and throughout the world.

Nor are the trade unions instruments of working class struggle. Throughout the pandemic, the unions have played a critical role in forcing workers back to work and suppressing independent opposition to the homicidal policies of the ruling class. Now, the teachers unions are leading the campaign, along with the Biden administration, to reopen schools, guaranteeing the infection and death of scores of children and teachers.

The development of working class opposition requires the building of a network of rank-and-file organizations to mobilize the collective strength of workers throughout the world. To this end, the International Committee of the Fourth International, the world Trotskyist movement, has initiated the formation of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees.

This is the basic issue confronting students and youth as campuses reopen. The pandemic has exposed the irreconcilable conflict between the capitalist class and the working class, the vast majority of the population. A titanic struggle is both inevitable and necessary, but for the working class to prevail requires the building of a revolutionary socialist leadership.

The IYSSE, the student and youth movement of the Socialist Equality Party, is fighting to build that leadership among youth. This is the only viable path that exists for the progressive development of human society. We urge all youth, students and workers who agree with this perspective to draw the necessary conclusions and join the IYSSE.

Join the IYSSE and take up the fight for socialism!

Join the fight to defend public education! No unsafe return to schools!

Subscribe to our student and youth newsletter

Read the rest here:
Fight for the eradication of the pandemic! Join the International Youth and Students for Social Equality! - WSWS

In two weeks, California residents will be casting ballots in the recall election against Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. The vote will be held on September 14.

It marks the second time in California history that an effort to recall a sitting governor has qualified for a general vote, the first being the successful election to recall Gray Davis, also a Democrat, in 2003. That vote placed Republican politician and movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger in power.

The Socialist Equality Party is calling for a No vote in the recall election, which has been organized by far-right forces opposed even to the limited patchwork of COVID-19 measures implemented by Newsom. While the SEP calls for a No vote, we give no political support to Newsom and the Democrats. We are running David Moore, the only genuine socialist on the ballot, to fight for an independent political movement of the working class against both big business parties and the capitalist system. More information about Moores campaign can be found here.

As of August 31, the polling site FiveThirtyEight was predicting a close vote, with 51.0 percent voting to keep Newsom and 45.4 percent voting to remove him.

The ballot will have two questions: Whether to recall Newsom and, should a majority vote for his removal, who will replace him. Forty-six candidates are in the running, and it takes only a simple plurality to win, meaning a candidate could win with only minority support. Californians can vote on the second question even if they vote against recalling Newsom.

Larry Elder

The leading figure, according to polls, among the 24 Republicans running for governor is Larry Elder. Elder is a far-right talk show host based in Los Angeles. He has been working in television and radio as a host since at least the early 1990s. He hosted PBSs National Desk in the 1990s, alongside Laura Ingraham, and has hosted a nationally syndicated talk show, The Larry Elder Show for decades.

Elder is running as a champion of the right-wing anti-vaccine movement. At an August 22 speech in Fresno he said that he would repeal all mask and vaccine mandates throughout the state before I have my first cup of tea as governor. Earlier this year, Elder hosted a physician who claimed COVID-19 vaccines were a conspiracy by Bill Gates to control the population.

Over the last 20 years, Elder has described second-hand tobacco smoke claims as exaggerated. He has called climate change a myth and a crock and recently denounced climate change alarmism. He describes himself as a libertarian and has expressed opposition to a minimum wage and the welfare state, and called for the mass firing of California teachers.

Elder has a very close relationship with Donald Trumps fascistic adviser Stephen Miller. Miller began calling into Elders talk show as a high school student and has made appearances dozens of times on the show, according to Los Angeles Times journalist Jean Guerrero. Miller once said of Elder that he was the one true guide Ive always had, and Elder has been described as Millers mentor. Miller, whose friends also include neo-Nazi Richard Spencer, played a key role in orchestrating Trumps January 6 coup attempt.

Elder backs the Republican claims that Trump won the 2020 election. Recently, he stated, Do I believe that Joe Biden won the 2020 election fair and square? No, I dont.

Elder has repeatedly supported the fraudulent claim that Dominion Voting Systems software manipulated votes in the 2020 presidential election, stating that he wouldnt put it past the company to interfere in the California gubernatorial recall.

It is worth noting that Elder was originally not included on the ballot due to an error on his tax returns, but a sympathetic Sacramento judge ordered the California Secretary of States office to include him.

This is in glaring contrast to how the SEPs candidates in the 2020 presidential election were denied ballot access in California through the use of unfair and unreasonable signature requirements.

Elder, at 21.9 percent, is polling substantially higher than his two closest rival candidates, according to FiveThirtyEights polling aggregator.

Other candidates

The next leading candidate in the polls is 29-year-old millionaire YouTube influencer Kevin Paffrath, who is running as a Democrat. Paffrath, according to FiveThirtyEight, is polling at 6.8 percent. He is opposing Newsom from the right. In a future article, the World Socialist Web Site will examine the Democratic candidates, including Paffrath.

After Larry Elder, there are several other candidates out of the 24 Republicans worth noting.

John Cox, a businessman and perennially unsuccessful candidate for office in California and Illinois, is polling at 5.2 percent, according to FiveThirtyEight. Like Elder, Cox calls for abolishing all vaccine mandates in the state. He stated in the first Republican debate in the recall campaign that he would cut spending by $30 billion and lower income taxes by 25 percent.

Cox promotes anti-immigrant racism to demand a further militarization of the border, linking immigrants to drugs and human trafficking and scapegoating them for supposedly taking jobs from native-born Americans. He was endorsed by former President Trump, who described Cox as a really good and highly competent man. In an attempt to gain attention, Cox has been campaigning with a live Kodiak bear.

Kevin Faulconer, former mayor of San Diego, is the Republican candidate with the most experience and endorsements, which evidently has redounded against his campaign. Like other Republican candidates, he promises the largest middle class tax cut in CA history. He presents himself as pro-police, denouncing calls by a handful of Democratslong since droppedto defund the police.

While not openly endorsing the anti-vaccine movement, he has called for the ending of mask mandates in schools. As San Diego mayor, he carried out an aggressive crackdown on homeless people following an outbreak of Hepatitis A, which killed more than 20 people.

Caitlyn Jenner, the American media personality and retired athlete, is also running. Jenner, who is transgender, is most known for campaigning to prevent transgender women from competing in female sports. She has also played to the anti-vaccine movement, declaring that she was against mandates for vaccines for state employees and is for individual freedom. A Trump supporter, Jenner told an audience recently that she would rip the roots of socialism out of Sacramento.

Other Republican candidates include State Assembly member Ted Gaines, State Assembly member Kevin Kiley and actress, anti-vaccine advocate and QAnon promoter Sarah Stephens.

Three of the Republican candidates participated in a recall debate on August 25 along with Democrat Paffrath.

Paffrath made clear his opposition to state-wide coronavirus mandates, saying it was up to individual buildings and workplaces. Echoing the opposition of the Republicans to any serious measures to contain the virus, he said, I believe that every business has the constitutional right and every individual building has a right to determine their own mandates.

Newsom, for his part, fully supports the homicidal policy of the Biden administration to reopen the schools and businesses in the midst of the Delta-fueled surge in infections, hospitalizations and deaths. Whatever their differences, the Democrats and Republicans agree that the measures advocated by the foremost medical experts and epidemiologists to save lives and end the pandemicincluding the shutdown of schools and all non-essential businessesare ruled out because they would cut across the profit interests of the ruling corporate oligarchy.

David Moore, the socialist candidate, speaks for the working class and the vast majority of the population in calling for the use of all possible resources and scientific tools to save lives and eradicate the virus on the basis of a globally coordinated effort. This requires the mobilization of the working class in opposition to the capitalist class and its political parties and agents.

Sign up for the WSWS email newsletter

View original post here:
The far-right candidates in the 2021 California recall election - WSWS

John Rolfe| Taking it Personally

I recently had a thought-provoking email exchange with a reader of Cuban descent, who is disturbed by Cubas brutal response to public protests over food and medicine shortages.

Recent protests should [underscore]the failure of socialism, wrote Gloria, who asked that I use her first name. Although I have lived here many more years than there, I still have strong feelings and attachments. I lived the Cuba of Batista and a little of the Castro regime. Batista was a cruel dictator. Castro seemed a savior until he began to kill anyone who opposed him.

I certainly sympathize with the plight of Cubas people. They deserve far better than they've gotten during the last 60 years. What's happening is horribly typical of a tyrannical regime. However, Glorias comments made me wonder why many people are referring to Cuba as socialist rather than communist and using the terms interchangeably.

Politics:Trust U.S.? We've given world reason to fear America trying to help

Rolfe:How to improve society? Learn about a subject before talking about it.

Economics: If money can't buy happiness, why is everyone always after yours?

Refresher research reminded me that socialism is considered an early phase of communism, in which private property and acquiring more wealth than others is possible.Communism is supposed to be classless;all property is public, the government controls the economy (usually badly), with personal freedoms strictly limited.

Gloria wrote of returning to Cuba in 1998 and seeing impassable roads and streets without light. Salaries, even for doctors, were low. People lacked basic necessities.

One positive was education and health care for all but [there was]very little medicine and no infrastructure, Gloria wrote. People told me (once they were convinced I was not a spy) that they were too tired to think of revolting. However, enough is enough and the whole island has people protesting.

According to World Population Review, Cuba is one of only four Communist countries. The others are China, Vietnam and Laos, though China successfully modified its economy with market-based principles and some privatization. There are 11 Socialist nations including Venezuela, Nicaragua, Portugal and Iceland. Many others, such as Sweden and Norway, are Social Democracies with capitalist economies funding social welfare programs.

Six decades of American sanctions, a "comprehensive economic embargo" according to the State Department (www.state.gov/cuba-sanctions/) intended to keep money out of the hands of Cuba's leaders, havent changed that awful government. Unfortunately, the Cuban people suffer, too.

Communism fails because humans inevitably create pyramid social/economic structures with a wealthy, powerful few at the top who often try to preserve their status by repressing the struggling masses below.

Any system is only as good as the people running it. The key: Are they helping the greater public or only a select few? And too much of anything can be bad. Just as water is essential for life, an extreme excess can dissolve and destroy. Americas water capitalism without concern for societys overall well-being will create great wealth disparity, stifle upward mobility and feed social unrest.

Personal initiative should come first, but I still favor an adjustable (by the people) combination of private and public. One sector meets needs that are unmet by the other. But in our overwrought politics, those who propose even modified socialist ideas to address problems like low wages or capriciously astronomical healthcare costs are accused of advocating all-out communism like Cubas.

It doesnt have to be a strictly either-or proposition, but how do we achieve more balance if government cant help and private businesses wont do it of their own volition?

Capitalism, if practiced with social justice in mind, is a great incentive to study and work hard, Gloria wrote. In the ideal world, people would be compensated fairly. The United States is still a country of opportunity. Lets appreciate it and work to improve what we dont like.

Agreed. Meanwhile Cuba is in dire need of democracy so its people can have a say in how they are governed and treated.

Write to columnist John Rolfe at personallypojo@gmail.com or visit his website Celestialchuckle.com

More:
Don't fear socialism. Fear any economic system taken to the extreme. | Rolfe - Poughkeepsie Journal

Border questions

Here he goes to save the day! Sheriff Woods is going to the border.

Other than collecting some political bonafides with photo-ops, what in the world does he think he can do, and how will this be important to Marion County?

The border problem has been a mess for the last three presidential administrations, and his presence is unlikely to make a difference.

Before retiring, I made requests to a board with three questions: How much will this cost? How will this be funded? How will it benefit our corporation? Commissioner Gold is right to question this plan, especially since valuable resources are needed here. Please get answers to these questions and share them with this newspaper.

JoAnne Willits, Ocala

It seems that, based on a recent column by DavidWhitley, it would be best if he stuck to only covering sports and not making social commentary. His inability to grasp the nuance of athletes protesting against unequal treatment is the reason I offer this suggestion.

Just because someone doesn't salute or honor the flag doesn't mean they hate America. This may be too complicated for Whitley to understand, but as an example do you think it is possible to love your wife but dislike some of her traits? It doesn't mean you hate her. The athletes aren't stating that they hate America; they are stating that they hate the inequality and racism that exists in this country. I would venture to speculate that most people thinking and feeling people feel the same way.

I don't hate this country, but there are traits the country has that I hate.

Ron Williams, On Top of the World

On July 2 the Star-Banner published Everybodys country from a gentleman who has a misunderstanding of the difference between socialism and capitalism. I am aware that you are endeavoring to print a mix of opinions, whether the opinions are informed or misguided, in order to allow us all a voice. Hooray for the First Amendment!

However, you followed his letter by repeating, highlighting and amplifying the worst of his misinformed manipulative statements, which I refuse to repeat here, about socialism teaching the zero sum game of people wanting what we have and emptying our treasury by giving free stuff to them. Even the most white-washed history lessons in public school teach better information than that. Only propaganda has twisted the myth of Reagans Welfare Queen to keep the biggest corporations in a corporate welfare state of lowered taxes and the unwillingness to pay their fair share of support to their workers and the infrastructure that lines their officers pockets with millions of dollars while their workers are living in their cars! Corporate greed and lobbyists buying corrupt legislators are raping our citizens!

Fact: Most developed countries, including the U.S., employ a mixture of socialist and capitalist programs. Thats how we have the freedom of a capitalist system balanced with the restraint of some socialist programs including Social Security, Medicare, interstate highways, police and fire departments, public schools and public libraries. These and other tax-funded governmental programs are designed to support the common good of our citizens, not oppress anyone or make us entitlement-crazed.

When you clean out the far-right insurrectionists from the Capitol and replace them with real conservatives, you will see a return to bipartisan leadership that will serve the common good with laws that support both entrepreneurial spirit and the reasonable protection of American families and individuals.

Jill Carel, Ocala

See the original post:
Today's letters: Readers comment on the border, a sports columnist and socialism - Ocala

In this article, we take a look at 15 socialist countries that have succeeded. You can skip our detailed analysis about state of socialism, and go directly to the 5 Socialist Countries that Have Succeeded.

Socialism is an economic theory that stresses the ownership of means of production by society instead of private individuals. The core essence or principle in socialism is to shape society based on cooperation and welfare rather than on free market capitalist competition and exploitation. This is the textbook definition of socialism. In practice however, it is not clearly defined, is subjective and encompasses a whole range of different economic policies and even exists parallel to capitalism in some countries through what can be described as a pragmatic approach to socialism.

Socialism is thought to impede innovation because it is thought to take away the incentive to innovate as society loses its competitive edge due to collective ownership of means of production rather than individualistic and private ownership. The assumption rests on Adam Smiths treatise: An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations, where capitalism traces its roots. The assumption stresses that human beings are rational actors who want to make wealth and multiply it and are primarily driven by this impulse. This results in supposed benefits for a free market economy as well as society in general when individuals compete to make wealth and innovate in their respective niche to get ahead of their competition.

Capitalists believe that western advancements in technology and other sophisticated services are primarily a result of capitalism. However, people in some western countries, especially the US, are becoming alienated with this predominant economic philosophy. According to a Pew survey from 2010, only 29% of Americans had a positive reaction to the word Socialism but as of 2019, 42% of Americans have developed positive views about socialism according to the most recent pew survey. These surveys also show that Democratic Party voters, the bulk of whom are young, form the majority of people who view the socialist theory positively.

Story continues

The arrival of Joe Biden in the White House also heralded an era that is expected to have left-friendly policies, including strict restrictions on major corporations and giants like Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB), Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA), Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) and Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL). President Biden's choice for FTC head Leena Khan, a harsh critic of tech companies, who believes markets in the US are "controlled by a very small number of companies" point to the policies tech companies should expect in the new government.

When the surveyees who viewed socialism positively were asked the reasons of their preference, most said that socialism ensures equitable distribution of resources and gives rise to equality. Although the majority of Americans still prefer capitalism according to these surveys, the majority has become rather thin. The growing alienation with capitalism in the US is attributed to a number of factors including the increasing wealth inequality, job insecurities and inadequate social safety nets.

According to an inequality.org report, the top 1% of Americans have 4 times more wealth than the bottom 50% of Americans. The same report also points out at Covid-19 pandemic effects on wealth disproportionality in the US with the 1% seeing their wealth grow by 29% while millions of people lost their jobs in the first 6 months of the pandemic alone.

But do socialist policies solve these problems? And if they do, is it at the cost of innovation? Can a capitalist economy, modified with principles of socialism do away with the ills of both? The answer isnt a clear yes or no. A lot of countries have experimented with different versions of socialism with different degrees of policy with mixed results.

No country has ever experimented with pure socialism because of structural and practical reasons. The only state that had come the closest to socialism was Soviet Union and it had both dramatic successes and dramatic failures in terms of economic growth, technological advancement and welfare. In the end however, the state collapsed. Other experimenters like Cuba improved only in very narrow areas like healthcare. On the other hand, some countries are prospering with highest scores in happiness indexes like Sweden and Norway through Democratic Socialism.

Democratic Socialism stresses the need for a democratic society that retains a competitive capitalist market but is complemented with the ethical economic ideals of Socialism and while the term Democratic Socialism is interchangeably used with Social Democracy due to identical socio-politico-economic frameworks, the latter theory argues in favor of transitioning to socialism through reform of existing societal structures gradually rather than revolutionarily. (OHara, 2003)

Most people believe that China is a purely socialist country which is not true. China practices state capitalism but has integrated their model with some socialist and some experimental policies. However, the Chinese President Xi Jinping has stated that China will have fully transitioned into socialism by 2050. Most countries have simply adapted or modified socialist policies to work with their economic model. So wed be analyzing different countries with their different models that have adapted to socialism in their own ways.

A successful socialist oriented country could be defined as the one that adopted socialist policies and gained from it without losing anything. In this instance, that means the economic growth was not stunted, the welfare system experienced improvement and the wealth gap was reduced. Below, we outline a list of 15 socialist countries that have succeeded and also analyze the extent of socialism in their economic models.

Socialist Countries that Have Succeeded

Photo by Egor Myznik on Unsplash

Our Methodology

For our list of 15 socialist countries that have succeeded, we define 4 metrics: innovation index, social progress index, Global Competitiveness and Gini Coefficient index. Innovation, as discussed above, is how much countries markets are involved in innovating products and services to solve novel problems and thereby growing the economy. The higher the innovation score, the higher the levels of innovation in the economy. This however, is only possible in free markets so our focus is on free market socialist countries.

Social progress index measures the state's policies in response to the social and economic welfare of its citizens which include services like healthcare, minimum wage and parental leaves etc. A high score in the social progress index means a socialist oriented welfare system in the state. Global Competitiveness Index measures how competent and competitive an economy is at the world stage.

Gini Coefficient index on the other hand measures income distribution across a population and wealth gap. The higher the Gini Coefficient score, the higher the inequality. This Coefficient was developed by Italian Statistician Corrado Gini. So for successful socialist oriented countries, there needs to be a high innovation score meaning unimpeded innovation, a high social progress score, a good score on global competitiveness and a low Gini Coefficient score. These scores are scaled from 0 to 100.

For innovation, wed be using The Global Economy scores for different countries. To measure social progress, wed be using Social Progress Organization results. For Global Competitiveness, wed be using scores from the Global Competitiveness Report and finally for the Gini Coefficient index of different countries, we would be using the results from World Population Review. However, as socialism relates to low wealth gap, wed be using the Gini Coefficient as the key metric.

This is a purely research-based article for education purposes. Insider Monkey has no political affiliations and we don't use our content to promote any political ideology.

With that said, lets move down to the 15 socialist countries that have succeeded.

Gini Coefficient: 25.7

The least significant on our list of 15 socialist countries that have succeeded is Moldova. Moldova was a socialist republic in Soviet Union but after the Soviet collapse in 1991, Moldova became independent and joined the world economy. It started liberalizing its economy and privatized a lot of state companies. However, it didnt completely do away with the socialist experiment which is still running in parallel to its liberal free market. Its top exports include fine liquor.

According to Heritages Index of Economic Freedom 2021, Moldova only scores 50 out of 100 in financial freedom while government spending and tax burden stand respectively at 71 and 94. This implies that the government is spending extensively on public services like healthcare and education while increasing taxes on private wealth and it seems to be working in its favor.

Moldova has a high score of 72.58 in social progress but only 33 in innovation. It ranks 86th in global competitiveness.

Gini Coefficient: 25.7

Armenia is another former Soviet Republic on the list. The country became independent in the wake of Soviet collapse and followed the path of other former Soviet republics that were part of the Warsaw Pact. It started liberalizing the market and started the privatization process. However, generally the economy still remains somewhat centrally planned. Armenia had developed a robust industrial sector during the Soviet era but after its collapse, Armenia switched back mostly to agriculture.

Armenia hasnt tapped its true potential due to the ever looming threat of conflict with Azerbaijan with which it has historical disputes that has resulted in border hostilities and outbreak of two wars with one fought recently in 2020. Armenia scores high on social progress at 76.46 but has an innovation score of 32.60. It ranks at 69th in global competitiveness.

Gini Coefficient: 30.4

Another former soviet republic to make it to the list of 15 socialist countries that have succeeded is Croatia. Croatia was slow in economic reform following the Soviet collapse. It liberalized its economy following Soviet collapse. However, the transition to market economy was only to a certain extent and a significant portion of the economy is still planned for the purpose of social welfare. This has led to both growth and a reduction in wealth gap and inequality. Croatia has a score of 37.30 in innovation but scores highly on social progress at 81.92. It ranks 63rd in global competitiveness.

Despite this, socialist countries are yet to see the growth and innovation as seen in pure capitalist countries like the US, where companies like Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB), Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA), Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) and Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) are making huge technological strides.

Gini Coefficient: 24.2

Slovenia is another country in Eastern Europe. It was a part of Yugoslavia and gained independence in 1991 after Yugoslavia dissolved in its constituent states. Slovenia has one of the lowest Gini Coefficient scores signifying one of the lowest inequality levels in the world.

Slovenias economy is only moderately free according to Heritage and retains socialist elements in its economic policies such as labor freedom. The state is also considerably involved in central planning and therefore, the market is significantly regulated. Slovenia has a moderate score in innovation at 42.90. It has a high social progress score at 87.71 and it ranks 35th in global competitiveness.

Gini Coefficient: 33.8

Portugal is a country located in southern Europe famous for its seafood. It is a democratic socialist country. Portugal is known for center-left economic policies regardless of whoever is in the government. The right wing is relatively unpopular in the country when compared to the left wing due to their alliance with the organized working class. As of today, the socialist party is in power in Portugal that won the re-election in 2019 with 36% votes, an increase of 4% than the previous election.

The socialist party has implemented several left leaning socialist policies over the course of 6 years including reduction in unemployment and increasing the amount of state owned welfare services for citizens. Despite the governments overspending, tax burdens and market regulation, Portugals economy ranks 34th in the Global Competitiveness Index and has a moderate innovation score of 43.50. Portugal scores highly in social progress at 87.79.

Despite this, consumerism and new technologies made by companies like Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB), Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA), Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) and Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) are becoming extremely popular among the young population of Portugal.

Gini Coefficient: 34.7

Spain is located in southwestern Europe and is a developed country. Spain is a democratic socialist state. Left wing politics is popular in the country. Spain has an innovation index score of 45.60, a global competitive index score of 75.3 and a social progress score of 88.71.Some of Spains largest publicly traded companies include Repsol, S.A. (MCE: REP.MC), Banco Santander, S.A. (NYSE: SAN), Mapfre, S.A. (MCE: MAP.MC) and Telefnica, S.A. (NYSE: TEF).

Gini Coefficient: 27.4

Belgium is a country in western Europe. It is a democratic socialist country with a very high level of development. It ranks at the 22 spot in Global Competitiveness, has a decent innovation index score of 49.10 and a social progress score of 89.46. Belgiums economy centers around a number of key factors. The market is free but the tax burden is relatively high due to government spending on healthcare and other welfare services.

Despite this, Europe lacks the level of tech innovation and progress seen in the US. Almost all major companies working on key technologies are in the US, including Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB), Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA), Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) and Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL).

Gini Coefficient: 32.8

The Republic of Ireland is a Baltic state located in Northwestern Europe. It grabs the 8th ranking on our list of 15 socialist countries that have succeeded. It is a democratic socialist country with an innovation score of 53, Global Competitiveness rank of 24 and a social progress score of 90.35. The economy is mixed with a free market and huge government spending on welfare.

Gini Coefficient: 28.5

Netherlands is located in northwestern Europe. It has a significant amount of socialist frameworks in place. The economy is mixed and the market enjoys significant levels of freedom but there are regulations in place that are socialist in orientation. For instance, young people get paid less than older people according to etuc.org.

Theres a robust healthcare system in place. Policies have been enacted in the market for parents to take paid leaves in case of pregnancy or childbirth. Minimum wages have been set in the country to prevent people from falling into poverty. The Netherlands has a high innovation score of 58.80. It ranks 4th in the global competitive index and has a high social progress score of 91.06.

Some of Netherlands biggest publicly traded companies include Airbus SE (EPA: AIR.PA), Royal Dutch Shell plc (AMS: RDSA.AS), Exor N.V. (BIT: EXO.MI), Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. (AMS: AD.AS) and ING Groep N.V. (AMS: INGA.AS).

Gini Coefficient: 38.5

China undoubtedly grabs one of the best spots on the list of 15 socialist countries that have succeeded for a lot of reasons despite a relatively higher Gini Coefficient, lower innovation and social progress than some other countries on the list of 15 socialist countries that have succeeded. China grabs the spot for two reasons: the speed with which it has climbed the economic ladder, becoming the 2nd largest economy in the world and its proximity to textbook socialism.

The People's Republic of China was almost entirely socialist until it opened its economy to the rest of the world in the late 70s. China has a one party system built around meritocracy and long term experimental and strategic economic planning. Socialist pillars in Chinas socio-politico-economic system include unemployment insurance, laborers compensation insurance, universal healthcare and communal pension funds.

China is not a market economy in the sense of free market capitalism or market socialism. Instead, China relies on strategic state capitalism where it controls how strategic means of production are used. The rationale is to gradually transition from this phase to a fully socialist system through a meritocratic and public welfare political system in what is largely described as the China Model or the Beijing Consensus.

A stunning achievement of these policies is that China has lifted 800 million of its people out of poverty according to the World Bank. China has an innovation score of 53.50. It has a social progress score of 66.12. China is also home to the 3rd largest smartphone manufacturer, Xiaomi Corporation (OTC: XIACF) when it comes to innovation.

China ranks 28th in global competitiveness and is home to various giant publicly traded companies like Alibaba Group Holding Limited (HKSE: 9988.HK), Tencent Holdings Limited (HKSE: 0700.HK), Pinduoduo Inc. (NASDAQ: PDD), Yum China Holdings Inc. (NYSE: YUMC), Xiaomi Corporation (OTC: XIACF) and New Frontier Health Corporation (NYSE: NFH). 133 Chinese companies made it to the fortune 500 list in 2020. Some of these include Alibaba Group Holding Limited (HKSE: 9988.HK), Tencent Holdings Limited (HKSE: 0700.HK) and Xiaomi Corporation (OTC: XIACF).

Chinese companies are also competing with US giants like Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Facebook, Inc. Common Stock (NASDAQ: FB), Alphabet Inc Class A (NASDAQ: GOOGL), Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA), Twitter Inc (NYSE: TWTR) and Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) in every domain.

Click to continue reading and see the 5 Socialist Countries that Have Succeeded.

Suggested articles:

Disclosure: None. 15 Socialist Countries that Have Succeeded is originally published on Insider Monkey.

See the original post:
15 Socialist Countries that Have Succeeded - Yahoo Finance