Original article
Vladimir M. Moskovkin,
PhD, Dr habil (Geography), Professor, Belgorod State University, World Economy Department, Director, Centre for Development of Publication Activity, Russia
Address: World Economy Department, Belgorod State National Research University, 85 Pobedy st, Belgorod, 308015 Russia
E-mail: moskovkin@bsu.edu.ru
Article ID: 011310115
Published online: 7 July 2020
HANDLE: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12656/thebeacon.3.011310115
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55269/thebeacon.3.011310115
Quoting (Chicago style): Moskovkin, Vladimir M. 2020. “Do we need a Great Reset? COVID-19, Black Revolution, Inequality and Common Good.” Beacon J Stud Ideol Ment Dimens 3, 011310115. https://doi.org/10.55269/thebeacon.3.011310115
Language: Russian
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The current coronavirus crisis is inextricably linked to “Black lives matter” protests in USA and beyond. Both social processes are results of many-year social and economic inequality. Corona crisis gave an acceleration to the process of becoming the societies “left.” We suggest that the Great Reset, i.e. post-COVID-19 innovative development of societies should be based on Economy for the Common Good principles outlined by Christian Felber in 2010. The Great Reset concept is closely connected with the World Economic Forum initiative of 3 June 2020. It opens prospects for truly sustainable development of all future societies. Key words: corona crisis, COVID-19, Economy for Common Good, ecological sustainability, Great Reset, Black protests, Black lives matter
Corona crisis is inseparably related to “Black lives matter” protests in USA and beyond, as both social issues reveal the problem of social and economic inequality severely exacerbated by the end of the second decade of the twenty-first century. The spread of coronavirus has actualised a return to socialist values, justice, solidarity, equality and prosperity for all instead of prosperity of a small number of people that hold the major financial capital in the world. Therefore, corona crisis and Black protests may be dealt with using innovative economic approaches introduced in the concept of Economy for the Common Good (ECG) initially advanced by Christian Felber in 2010.
Epidemiological aspect of SARS-CoV-2 virus spread did not create new social crises, it rather revealed and made evident that in the global world the level of poverty and privation is enormous. Containing the novel coronavirus is impossible without effective containing and prevention of social issues caused by it. Dealing with impoverishment of the main part of humanity can be regarded as one of the most important tasks in the nearest time perspective. Introducing new taxes imposed upon the richest representatives of human population worldwide may cover budget expenses of all countries that suffered most of COVID-19 pandemic.
The model of ECG includes four types of new ethical values that should define the development of humanity in the years to come: 1) human dignity; 2) solidarity and social justice; 3) environmental sustainability; and 4) transparency and common defining the policies. Currently ECG movement already includes 11 000 supporters, 4 000 active members, 31 ECG associations, 150 local authorities, 50 cities, 500 companies and 200 world-level universities. Hubs of consultants, communicators, auditors and speakers have been formed as well. Within ECG, all organisations have an ability to create “Common Good Balance Sheets” based on “Common Good Matrix,” which describes twenty topics. Each topic at the start gets fifty points. Each company can reach a maximum of 1 000 points. As one can see, the mathematical procedure of expert evaluations and the competition process are fundamentals in ECG ranking.
The ECG economic model was initially probed in the German and French-speaking countries of Europe, as well as in Scandinavia, where social democratic traditions and values are strong. Recently several Latin American companies and organisations have joined the movement, where these traditions and values have already transformed to revolutionary narratives.
ECG cooperation may become a foundation for the Great Reset in the post-corona era. Though the same name was given to a post-crisis situation by Richard Florida in 2008, this time we may deem the “Reset,” i.e. switch to a new way of social development, truly “Great,” because it aims at changing all major constituents of functioning the societies. We analyse how the new Great Reset paradigm was outlined in the World Economy Forum initiative of 3 June 2020. Its major principles are as follows: 1) fair regulation to support the economy and the interests of sundry parties; 2) packages of economic incentives focussed on environmental, social and managerial indicators; 3) using the innovations of the fourth industrial revolution to support the common good.
There will be a serious task of helping developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America in the transition to alternative energy sources. It will be necessary to transfer high technologies and know-hows to them. However, this will probably face an opposition of transnational corporations that own most of technological achievements in the modern world and obviously do not demonstrate any wish to share them with those who are in need. The only possibility of the state structures to guide and control the successful development of societies in the post-COVID time, is to implement left and socialist principles. Otherwise, new revolts and social mischief may break out around the world, independently of skin colour, religious beliefs and ethnic/racial/national identification.
© 2020 Vladimir M. Moskovkin. Licensee The Beacon: Journal for Studying Ideologies and Mental Dimensions.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) that permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
