Peter Dorman is an emeritus professor of political economy at Evergreen State College and a wide-ranging author on labor, public health, climate change, and economic theory. He is currently writing a book on new directions in social ownership.
Work becomes less alienating when workers are given more autonomy, voice in workplace decisions, and jobs that develop skills. The Left needs a practical strategy for making jobs better now and transforming them in the future.
Public ownership may seem like the most obvious solution to the problems posed by AI. But purpose trusts could offer a more pluralistic form of social ownership — one that subordinates profit to a variety of public purposes.