The Alternative

This is a thoughtful and encouraging book for those of us dismayed by the seemingly relentless march of neoliberal inequality. Well researched, the author examines a selection of worldwide examples of individuals, organizations and government entities taking creative steps to address the ills of unrestrained capitalism.

I remember sitting in an owner/shareholder meeting and the CEO telling us that “we must grow.” One bold person stood up and asked what I was thinking: “Why?”In this well researched and provocative book, Romeo dispels the dogma we were all taught in Econ 101-that the sole goal of business must be to make more money, no matter the consequences. Most people have begrudgingly accepted that there is no alternative, though many of us remember the days of family-owned businesses and employees that took pride in their jobs because they felt their work mattered. Romeo’s book beautifully describes current sustainable business models that are profitable yet uplift the spirit of their workers and don’t destroy the environment.‘Business as usual” is not sustainable as we see Gen-Z fighting back against unfulfilling jobs, early burnout in highly trained professionals, and the irreversible poisoning of our water, air and land. The Alternative will bring out your anger against an unjust system yet spark optimism that we can do better. It should be required reading in Econ 101.

What a fabulous book! Nick Romeo has done impressive research, traveling to locations where different economic models are working, showing that the current way of economic thinking, which creates wide disparities of wealth, can be changed for the benefit of all. He has shown models for reforming the gig economy, retaining its positive aspects while eliminating the negative ones. His explanation of "The World's Largest Worker-Owned Cooperative, Mondragon, in the Basque Country of northern Spain, is inspiring. There are many other examples and inspiring stories, too many to mention here.I would like this book to be required reading in all basic economics classes in all our universities. I would recommend it for all our members of Congress. All people who care about the wide economic disparities in the US and around the world, who don't know there are successful working models, can be encouraged by reading this book.

I have enjoyed reading many articles written by Mr. Romeo, always finding them to be thought provoking, interesting and informative. I found this book to be the same. Although I am not an economist, I was interested to learn more about different ways of looking at our society and our evolving world. I found this book to be a critical and thought provoking analysis .... whether you are a novice in the field or a learned economist.

This book is a deep dive into alternative economic, business, and civic models which emphasize the humane over the merely profitable. Such approaches may at first seem unworkable or unsustainable within the context our current and historical societal structures. However, Romeo presents not only theoretical justifications, but real-world instances where these models have sustained themselves, with seemingly better outcomes for employees and the wider society. Included are examples of public sector platforms for flexible work opportunities (gig work), employee ownership trusts as a business model, job guarantee programs that seem to work, and real estate perpetual trusts to address the problem of housing affordability. Successful examples range from small towns to well-known multi-billion dollar corporations. Implicit to these models are thornier questions. For example, if one measure of social health is a living wage for workers, how is that plausibly calculated? Romeo does not avoid these touchy questions, but addresses them with wide-ranging interviews and thoughtful analysis. This is an admirable journalistic effort which spotlights serious alternatives to current economic and political models. Highly recommended.