Anarchist economy

[Pirate Utopian]

I was thinking and how is anarchism gonna apply socialism?, how is it sustainable under anarchism? and how is capitalism even sustainable?

I think that both socialism and capitalism cant really function under anarchism, but please disprove me as I only wanna learn more.

[which doctor]

Why would anarchism need to "sustain" capitalism, or even socialism?

[apathy maybe]

Firstly, what is socialism? If you talk of a centrally controlled economy or similar, then no, it isn't compatible with anarchism. If you mean socialism in the broad anti-capitalist, egalitarian, workers control sense, then it obviously is. (Side note: No, capitalism isn't compatible with anarchism. Do a quick search on RevLeft for such things as "anarcho-capitalism", or anarchism and capitalism.)

So, how would an anarchist economy be organised? Well that sort of question is a bit silly. Why? Because Anarchism is not a single "ideology", but rather a superset of ideologies.

The most common economic systems proposed by anarchists on this board is either communism or syndicalism (which to my mind would effectively become the same).

I think there might be one or two "market socialists", or "mutualists" around (do a search for those two terms or for "individualist anarchism" for more information).

I personally am of the opinion that the economic system of any anarchistic society will be a mix of these ideas. "(I)n the absence of government many different experiments would probably be tried in various localities in order to determine the most appropriate form." (From the Wikipedia page on anarchism without adjectives (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/anarchism+without+adjectives), quoting Peter Marshall's, Demanding the Impossible discussing Voltairine de Cleyre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltairine+de+Cleyre).)

Various other ideas (such as collectivism) are (as far as I know) only found in history. And of course, I could be wrong.

[Janus]

I think that both socialism and capitalism cant really function under anarchism, but please disprove me as I only wanna learn more.
Definitely not capitalism (unless you're talking about anarcho-capitalism) but it really depends what you mean by socialism.

Also, check out these links:
Anarchist economy (http://www.revolutionaryleft.com/index.php?s=&act=ST&f=6&t=51078)
anarchist economics (http://www.revleft.com/lofiversion/index.php/t48636.html)

[syndicat]

An anarchist approach to economic vision means it would be based on direct, participatory democracy and self-management, people controlling the decisions that affect them. It means there is no state management of the economy (because there's no state and any governance structure does not set up topdown managerial hierarchies over workers).

There have been a number of distinct libertarian Left or anarchist visions for the economy. There is the version of libertarian communism proposed by the social ecologists based on community assemblies. There was in the World War I era guild socialism, a syndicalist-influenced vision based on direct negotiation between consumer and producer councils.

There is the libertarian communist program of the anarcho-syndicalist unions in Spain in the 1930s based on both "free municipalities" (village and neighborhood assemblies) and "industrial federations" (self-managed industrial organizations based on workplace assemblies) cooperating in the development of a social plan.

Participatory economics is a vision that has a dual structure of workplace assemblies and neighborhood assemblies at the base, like the Spanish anarcho-syndicalists, and a process of negotiation between consumer and producer similar to guild socialism, to develop a social plan. The idea is a horizontal, participatory process for developing a social plan, rather than the state socialist idea of central planning, which leads to managerial hierarchies over workers and a denial of worker self-management.