Marjorie Kelly inspired the B Corp movement with The Divine Right of Capital; now she and Ted Howard have pointed the way toward what’s next. The Making of a Democratic Economy is a must-read. I am blown away by this book.

—Jay Coen Gilbert, cofounder, B Lab, the nonprofit behind the B Corporation movement

This book is a timely and important reminder of the urgent need to democratize our economy. The experiments it discusses provide inspiration, and food for thought, for activists and policy-makers alike.

—John McDonnell MP, UK Shadow Chancellor, Labour Party

In the face of our climate crisis, dangerous levels of social inequity and the loss of unimaginable biodiversity comes The Making of a Democratic Economy, a critically important book of hope, possibility and solutions. Thorough, thoughtful and full of essential insights, this timely guide is a must read for all concerned about a better future.

—Jeffrey Hollender, Co-Founder of Seventh Generation and the American Sustainable Business Council

We call The Laura Flanders Show the place where “the people who say it can’t be done take a backseat to the people who are doing it. ” Howard and Kelly bring us dispatches from places like that all across the US, where people are democratizing the economy and shifting power. This important survey, from two who have been instrumental to much of this work, paints a picture, not simply of a mosaic of experiments but of a newly emerging system that lies within our reach.  Can we change our culture to cherish people over capital?  It won’t be easy, but it can be done. We need deep long-term thinking and immediate action steps. Lucky for us, this deeply considered book offers both.

—Laura Flanders, The Laura Flanders Show

This book offers a practical path of radical hope for system change.  Models like those here are being copied across the world.  Scores of the ideas here make clear sense, like having the Federal Reserve bail out the planet the same way it bailed out the big banks. if you’re looking for a mix of mind-expanding vision, with ideas and models that are working and ready to be tried in your town, this book is for you.

—Kevin Jones, Cofounder Social Capital Markets and Transform Series

Marjorie Kelly and Ted Howard have given us the roadmap toward economic democracy. But they don’t just show the interstates and the major landmarks— they show the byways and small towns where real change comes from. In this moment when greater and greater numbers of people are realizing that the rules of capitalism must be rewritten, the stories in these pages, and the strategies that Kelly and Howard share, will guide our way forward.

—Lenore Palladino, Senior Economist, The Roosevelt Institute

The call for an economy that works for all is heard in Washington and even on Wall Street—but how will the change take place?  Marjorie and Ted offer a map. They share stories of a different kind of enterprise—one that puts the human interest at the heart of success.  These community-based enterprises are not only hopeful, they’re replicable—they illuminate the design for an economy that honors our democratic ideals.

—Judith Samuelson, Executive Director, Aspen Institute Business and Society Program

It’s not enough to imagine another world is possible, we need to feel and taste it. Kelly and Howard give us the concrete stories we need to truly believe in this new world.

—Naomi Klein, author No Is Not Enough, This Changes Everything, and No Logo  

An insightful, moving, energizing book, just what America needs now more than ever. Kelly and Howard enable us to see that indeed there is life—good life—beyond our brutal form of capitalism, and it is already emerging. Bravo!

—Frances Moore Lappé, author Diet for a Small Planet, and Daring Democracy: Igniting Power, Meaning and Connection for the America We Want

“A democratic economy should be one with a lot of diversity, reflecting the needs and desires of the people who live there … we need to take on what Kelly and Howard call capital bias—the structures that keep alternatives starved for the resources they need to keep the lights on, while a firehose of financialized money continues fueling the parts of our economy that are creating the problems in the first place, raising rents, extracting wealth, and spewing ever more carbon into the air.”

—Aditya Chakrabortty, senior economics correspondent, The Guardian, from the Afterword

Kelly and Howard offer the insight that our democratic principles and our economic vitality don’t need to be in constant contradiction.  For the future health of our planet and its citizens, we need to democratize our market-driven economy by creating ownership structures that, by their very nature, lead to more sustainable, generative outcomes. This powerful book shines a light on the practical paths so many are searching for today.

—Dan Wolf, Cape Air CEO and former Massachusetts State Senator

Marjorie Kelly and Ted Howard remind us that it’s not enough to fight against an unjust and unsustainable system—we also have to have a vision for the system we want instead, and a plan for building it. The stories they tell in The Making of a Democratic Economy lift up the hard and vital work of the people creating the institutions of the next economy.

—Kat Taylor, CEO and Cofounder, Beneficial State Bank

As champions of worker and community ownership, Kelly and Howard remind us that economic democracy is essential to political democracy and a viable human future.

—David Korten, author When Corporations Rule the World and Change the Story, Change the Future: A Living Economy for a Living Earth.

This is an important book. It builds on growing recognition that systemic transformation is needed, providing a roadmap to understanding that democracy is at the core of building flourishing economies needed for a flourishing future. We all need to deeply learn from the many examples and lessons of this book and work together to create whole systems change. The Making of a Democratic Economy provides an invaluable guide to how that can happen.

—Sandra Waddock, Galligan Chair of Strategy, Boston College

Marjorie Kelly—a huge influence for me as an impact investor and activist—has given us another gem, on the critical need for democracy not just in our political system, but in our economy.

—Morgan Simon, founding partner of Candide Group and author of Real Impact: The New Economics of Social Change