From Lock-in to Possibilism

A political-economic system can be visualized as a kind of playing field, with fixed rules for the game to be played. Over time most games will undergo changes of rules and regulations, and some games will be passed out while new ones are invented. So also with political-economic systems. A modern economy would not function well with a set of rules from the Middle Ages. Rules intended to spur wealth creation and social progress at one time in history, may at a later stage function more like a straitjacket. The rules of capitalism have turned out to be quite malleable, bended over time and practiced in many different ways in different societies. Still, the environmental burden and the overall challenges of modern societies, including immiseration and disintegration, can be seen as outcomes of a systemic lock-in, or a straight-jacket, suggesting a strong need for systemic renewal. For political-economic renewal inspiration, we may look among others to the windows of political-economic “possibilism”.