The Future of Capitalism

"Survival of the fittest" capitalism stands alone and apparently trimphant. Communism has collapsed and the social welfare state is breaking down everywhere. But technology and ideology are shaking the foundations of 21st-century capitalism. Technology is making skills and knowledge the only sources of sustainable strategic advantage. Abetted by the electronic media, ideology is moving toward the consumer's instant gratification. A new capitalism must emerge, one in which the ownership of skills ("man-made brainpower") instead of physical capital is the key strategic asset. Economic success will depend upon our willingness and ability to make long-term social investments in skills, education, knowledge and infrastructure. The intrinsic problems of capitalism (instability, rising inequality) are still waiting to be solved, but so are a new set of problems - and opportunities - that flow from capitalism's growing dependence upon human capital and man-made brainpower industries. In this era of massive economic and political change as five great "tectonic plates" of capitalism reshape the future, those who win will learn to play a new game with new rules requiring new strategies.
Tomorrow's winners will have very different characteristics than today's winners. When technology and ideology start moving apart, the only question is when will the "big one" (the earthquake that rocks the system) occur? Paradoxically at a time when capitalism finds itself at the "end of history" with no social and political competitors, it will have to undergo a profound metamorphosis. This work analyzes the future of capitalism, and charts a course for surviving and winning in the years ahead. Lester Thurow is the author of "Head to Head" and "The Zero-Sum Society".