Have labor vouchers ever been implemented?

[BIG BROTHER]

Well, I once read on this forum that Marx suggested using some sort of labor vouchers during the transition from socialism to communism. Did the soviet union ever tried implementing this? Or has any socialist state ever tried to implement this? If not, is there any reason why?

[Bright Banana Beard]

The simple explanation is because they still need to become a wealthy powerful nation before it can happens, sadly those reactionaries **** wont allow this.

[Die Neue Zeit]

The early Soviet state did in fact try this, but there were problems. Indeed, Marx initially criticized labour vouchers in Grundrisse with this question: how do you prevent circulation of these vouchers (if they're like physical movie tickets)?

However, he did a 180:

Social Proletocracy: Labour Credit and the Critique of the Gotha Programme Revisited (http://www.revleft.com/vb/social-proletocracy-marx-t80882/index.html)


In other words, labour credit with modern information technology (and, at the present time, plastic cards like debit and credit cards) is a more restrictive form of exchange, since its does not circulate throughout the economy, thereby preventing “black market” exploitation of labour and individual capital accumulation. In the United States today, there is precedent: “food stamp” electronic benefit transfers (EBTs).

This book is a good read, too:

Towards a New Socialism (http://www.ecn.wfu.edu/~cottrell/socialism_book/) by Paul Cockshott and Allin Cottrell.

[spartan]

Wasnt there labour vouchers in some Catalonian areas controlled by the Anarchists during the Spanish civil war or am i mistaking it for something else?

[Bright Banana Beard]

Wasnt there labour vouchers in some Catalonian areas controlled by the Anarchists or am i mistaking it for something else?

Indeed there was voucher in Catalonia social revolution, I forgot where the link article is.

[BIG BROTHER]

Indeed there was voucher in Catalonia social revolution, I forgot where the link article is.

and how successful or unsuccessful was the voucher system in Catalonia.

[mykittyhasaboner]

and how successful or unsuccessful was the voucher system in Catalonia.
according to Orwell things seemed to run smoothly, until a lot of products became scarce. goods like meat, coal, petrol, milk. but production increased by 20%, and most goods were reduced to a quarter of the original cost under the voucher system.

[spartan]

and how successful or unsuccessful was the voucher system in Catalonia.
Well according to wikipedia after the collectivisation of the Catalonian economy and the introduction of things like labour vouchers by the Anarchists during the Spanish civil war, the economy was producing more goods than it did pre-collectivisation.

[trivas7]

This book is a good read, too:

Towards a New Socialism (http://www.ecn.wfu.edu/~cottrell/socialism_book/) by Paul Cockshott and Allin Cottrell.

I'm currently reading this. Technocracy Inc. also has a highly thought out theory of using energy vouchers that are non-transferable.

http://www.technocracy.org/

[JazzRemington]

The problem was that the rural areas operated mostly under gift economies, so it was hard to exchange things between the urban and rural areas. If a labor-voucher system were to be implemented, it would have to be wide-spread and with a system setup to facilitate exchange between whatever other exchange systems that exist.

[BIG BROTHER]

according to Orwell things seemed to run smoothly, until a lot of products became scarce. goods like meat, coal, petrol, milk. but production increased by 20%, and most goods were reduced to a quarter of the original cost under the voucher system.


Well according to wikipedia after the collectivisation of the Catalonian economy and the introduction of things like labour vouchers by the Anarchists during the Spanish civil war, the economy was producing more goods than it did pre-collectivisation.


The problem was that the rural areas operated mostly under gift economies, so it was hard to exchange things between the urban and rural areas. If a labor-voucher system were to be implemented, it would have to be wide-spread and with a system setup to facilitate exchange between whatever other exchange systems that exist.

very interesting:) it seems that in overall it was pretty effective.


The early Soviet state did in fact try this, but there were problems. What problems?

[F9]

wait wasn't a type of labor vouchers implendet in cuba?I am not sure just i remember something from what i have read at the past!

Fuserg9:star:

[trivas7]

The problem was that the rural areas operated mostly under gift economies, so it was hard to exchange things between the urban and rural areas. If a labor-voucher system were to be implemented, it would have to be wide-spread and with a system setup to facilitate exchange between whatever other exchange systems that exist.
Exappropriating Wal-Mart would solve the world's distribution problem :rolleyes:.

[Die Neue Zeit]

according to Orwell things seemed to run smoothly, until a lot of products became scarce. goods like meat, coal, petrol, milk. but production increased by 20%, and most goods were reduced to a quarter of the original cost under the voucher system.

I'd like a quote of this, please. :)

[mykittyhasaboner]

I'd like a quote of this, please. :)
Orwell writes:


"There was no unemployment, and the price of living was extremely low; you saw very conspicuously destitute people, and no beggars except for the gypsies."
this was in December of 1936, when collectivization was still in full swing. so this most likely implies that the voucher system was in place at the time. i could not find any quotes directly referring to vouchers unfortunately. sorry :(

on the shortages:

"Meat was scarce and milk was practically unobtainable, there was a shortage of coal, sugar, and petrol, and a really serious shortage of bread."
he talks shortages a lot throughout the book, goods like tobacco, coffee, and butter where mentioned.