The War-economy Metaphor and Commands From Above

The rapid and quite substantial change of the US economy following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 is used as a case example of war economy transition. It tells us that even when a nation has to prioritize the use of scarce resources, and develop new administrative systems and megaprojects for commanding the economy, democracy can be maintained, and the welfare of people can be accommodated. The overriding target for a war-economy type transition, based on previous chapters, will be to introduce economic decoupling, deal adequately with the environmental burden, provide for social sustainability and reversal of social disintegration and political ressentiment , deal with issues of monopolization and corruption – and establish an alternative political-economic playing-field for the unemployed (anticipating the dugnad metaphor of chapter 16 ). The greatest challenge of the metaphor is to prevent economic power from falling into the hands of a corrupt, powerful, super-wealthy elite commanding megaprojects for depletion of resources and the sabotage of a green transition.