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= Distributism =
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Introduction
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Distributism is an economic theory asserting that the world's
productive assets should be widely owned rather than concentrated.
Developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, distributism was
based upon Catholic social teaching principles, especially those of
Pope Leo XIII in his encyclical 'Rerum novarum' (1891) and Pope Pius
XI in 'Quadragesimo anno' (1931). It has influenced Anglo Christian
Democratic movements, and has been recognized as one of many
influences on the social market economy.
Distributism views 'laissez-faire' capitalism and state socialism as
equally flawed and exploitative, due to their extreme concentration of
ownership. Instead, it favours small independent craftsmen and
producers; or, if that is not possible, economic mechanisms such as
cooperatives and member-owned mutual organisations, as well as small
to medium enterprises and vigorous anti-trust laws to restrain or
eliminate overweening economic power. Christian democratic political
parties such as the American Solidarity Party have advocated
distributism alongside social market economy in their economic
policies and party platform.
Overview
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According to distributists, the right to property is a fundamental
right, and the means of production should be spread as widely as
possible rather than being centralised under the control of the state
(statocracy), a few individuals (plutocracy), or corporations
(corporatocracy). Therefore, distributism advocates a society marked
by widespread property ownership. Cooperative economist Race Mathews
argues that such a system is key to creating a just social order.
Distributism has often been described in opposition to both
'laissez-faire' capitalism and state socialism which distributists see
as equally flawed and exploitative. Furthermore, some distributists
argue that state capitalism and state socialism are the logical
conclusion of capitalism as capitalism's concentrated powers
eventually capture the state. Thomas Storck argues: "Both socialism
and capitalism are products of the European Enlightenment and are thus
modernising and anti-traditional forces. In contrast, distributism
seeks to subordinate economic activity to human life as a whole, to
our spiritual life, our intellectual life, our family life." A few
distributists, including Dorothy Day, were influenced by the economic
ideas of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon and his mutualist economic theory. The
lesser-known anarchist branch of distributism of Day and the Catholic
Worker Movement can be considered a form of free-market libertarian
socialism due to their opposition to state capitalism and state
socialism.
Some have seen it more as an aspiration, successfully realised in the
short term by the commitment to the principles of subsidiarity and
solidarity (built into financially independent local cooperatives and
small family businesses). However, proponents also cite such periods
as the Middle Ages as examples of the long-term historical viability
of distributism. Particularly influential in the development of
distributist theory were Catholic authors G. K. Chesterton and Hilaire
Belloc, two of distributism's earliest and strongest proponents.
Background
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The mid-to-late 19th century witnessed an increase in the popularity
of political Catholicism across Europe. According to historian Michael
A. Riff, a common feature of these movements was opposition to
secularism, capitalism, and socialism. In 1891 Pope Leo XIII
promulgated 'Rerum novarum', in which he addressed the "misery and
wretchedness pressing so unjustly on the majority of the working
class" and spoke of how "a small number of very rich men" had been
able to "lay upon the teeming masses of the laboring poor a yoke
little better than that of slavery itself". Affirmed in the encyclical
was the right of all men to own property, the necessity of a system
that allowed "as many as possible of the people to become owners", the
duty of employers to provide safe working conditions and sufficient
wages, and the right of workers to unionise. Common and government
property ownership was expressly dismissed as a means of helping the
poor.
Around the start of the 20th century, G. K. Chesterton and Hilaire
Belloc drew together the disparate experiences of the various
cooperatives and friendly societies in Northern England, Ireland, and
Northern Europe into a coherent political theory which specifically
advocated widespread private ownership of housing and control of
industry through owner-operated small businesses and worker-controlled
cooperatives. In the United States in the 1930s, distributism was
treated in numerous essays by Chesterton, Belloc and others in 'The
American Review', published and edited by Seward Collins. Pivotal
among Belloc's and Chesterton's other works regarding distributism are
'The Servile State' and 'Outline of Sanity'.
Private property
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In 'Rerum novarum', Leo XIII states that people are likely to work
harder and with greater commitment if they possess the land on which
they labour, which in turn will benefit them and their families as
workers will be able to provide for themselves and their household. He
puts forward the idea that when men have the opportunity to possess
property and work on it, they will "learn to love the very soil which
yields in response to the labor of their hands, not only food to eat,
but an abundance of the good things for themselves and those that are
dear to them". He also states that owning property is beneficial for a
person and his family and is, in fact, a right due to God having
"given the earth for the use and enjoyment of the whole human race".
G. K. Chesterton presents similar views in his 1910 book, 'What's
Wrong with the World'. Chesterton believes that whilst God has
limitless capabilities, man has limited abilities in terms of
creation. Therefore, man is entitled to own property and treat it as
he sees fit, stating: "Property is merely the art of the democracy. It
means that every man should have something that he can shape in his
own image, as he is shaped in the image of heaven. But because he is
not God, but only a graven image of God, his self-expression must deal
with limits; properly with limits that are strict and even small."
According to Belloc, the distributive state (the state which has
implemented distributism) contains "an agglomeration of families of
varying wealth, but by far the greater number of owners of the means
of production". This broader distribution does not extend to all
property but only to productive property; that is, that property which
produces wealth, namely, the things needed for man to survive. It
includes land, tools, and so on. Distributism allows society to have
public goods such as parks and transit systems. Distributists accept
that wage labour will remain a small part of the economy, with small
business owners hiring employees, usually young, inexperienced people.
Redistribution of wealth and productive assets
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Distributism requires either direct or indirect distribution of the
means of production (productive assets)--in some ideological circles
including the redistribution of wealth--to a wide portion of society
instead of concentrating it in the hands of a minority of wealthy
elites (as seen in its criticism of certain varieties of capitalism)
or the hands of the state (as seen in its criticism of certain
varieties of communism and socialism). More capitalist-oriented
supporters support distributism-influenced social capitalism (also
known as a social market economy), while more socialist-oriented
supporters support distributism-influenced libertarian socialism.
Examples of methods of distributism include direct productive property
redistribution, taxation of excessive property ownership, and
small-business subsidization.
Guild system
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Distributists advocate in favour of the return of a guild system to
help regulate industries to promote moral standards of professional
conduct and economic equality among members of a guild. Such moral
standards of professional conduct would typically focus on business
conduct, working conditions and other issues in relation to industry
specific matters such as workplace training standards.
Banks
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Distributism favours cooperative and mutual banking institutions such
as credit unions, building societies and mutual banks. This is
considered to be the preferred alternative to private banks.
Human family
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G. K. Chesterton considered one's home and family the centrepiece of
society. He recognized the family unit and home as centrepieces of
living and believed that every man should have his property and home
to enable him to raise and support his family. Distributists recognize
that strengthening and protecting the family requires that society be
nurturing.
Subsidiarity
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Distributism puts great emphasis on the principle of subsidiarity.
This principle holds that no larger unit (whether social, economic, or
political) should perform a function that a smaller unit can perform.
In 'Quadragesimo anno', Pope Pius XI provided the classical statement
of the principle: "Just as it is gravely wrong to take from
individuals what they can accomplish by their own initiative and
industry and give it to the community, so also it is an injustice and
at the same time a grave evil and disturbance of right order to assign
to a greater and higher association what lesser and subordinate
organizations can do".
Social security
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The Democratic Labour Party of Australia espouses distributism and
does not hold the view of favouring the elimination of social security
who, for instance, wish to "[r]aise the level of student income
support payments to the Henderson poverty line".
The American Solidarity Party has a platform of favouring an adequate
social security system, stating: "We advocate for social safety nets
that adequately provide for the material needs of the most vulnerable
in society".
Politics
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The position of distributists, when compared to other political
philosophies, is somewhat paradoxical and complicated (see
triangulation). Firmly entrenched in an organic but very English
Catholicism, advocating culturally traditional and agrarian values,
directly challenging the precepts of Whig history--Belloc was
nonetheless an MP for the Liberal Party, and Chesterton once stated,
"As much as I ever did, more than I ever did, I believe in Liberalism.
But there was a rosy time of innocence when I believed in Liberals".
Distributism does not favour one political order over another
(political accidentalism). While some distributists such as Dorothy
Day have been anarchists, it should be remembered that most
Chestertonian distributists are opposed to the mere concept of
anarchism. Chesterton thought that distributism would benefit from the
discipline that theoretical analysis imposes and that distributism is
best seen as a widely encompassing concept inside of which any number
of interpretations and perspectives can fit. This concept should fit a
political system broadly characterized by widespread ownership of
productive property.
In the United States, the American Solidarity Party generally adheres
to Distributist principles as its economic model. Ross Douthat and
Reihan Salam view their 'Grand New Party', a roadmap for revising the
Republican Party in the United States, as "a book written in the
distributist tradition".
The Brazilian political party, Humanist Party of Solidarity, was a
distributist party, alongside the National Distributist Party in
England, and the Democratic Labour Party in Australia.
In the first round of the 2024 Romanian presidential election,
candidate Călin Georgescu, a independent candidate who advocates for a
system based on distributism and sovereigntism received 23% of votes
and qualified for the second round.
E. F. Schumacher
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Distributism is known to have influenced the economist E. F.
Schumacher, a convert to Catholicism.
Mondragon Corporation
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The Mondragon Corporation, based in the Basque Country in a region of
Spain and France, was founded by a Catholic priest, Father José María
Arizmendiarrieta, who seems to have been influenced by the same
Catholic social and economic teachings that inspired Belloc,
Chesterton, Father Vincent McNabb, and the other founders of
distributism.
Guild of St Joseph and St Dominic
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Distributist ideas were put into practice by The Guild of St Joseph
and St Dominic, a group of artists and craftsmen who established a
community in Ditchling, Sussex, England, in 1920, with the motto "Men
rich in virtue studying beautifulness living in peace in their
houses". The guild sought to recreate an idealised medieval lifestyle
in the manner of the Arts and Crafts Movement. It survived for almost
70 years until 1989.
Big Society
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The Big Society was the flagship policy idea of the 2010 UK
Conservative Party general election manifesto. Some distributists
claim that the rhetorical marketing of this policy was influenced by
aphorisms of the distributist ideology and promotes distributism. It
purportedly formed a part of the legislative programme of the
Conservative - Liberal Democrat Coalition Agreement.
Current
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* Australia - Democratic Labour Party
* Romania - Pirate Party Romania
* United Kingdom - National Distributist Party, British National
Party, National Front
* United States - American Solidarity Party
* Mexico - Nationalist Front of Mexico
Historical
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* United Kingdom - Distributist League (1926-1940), Third Way
(1990-2006)
* Brazil - Humanist Party of Solidarity (1995-2019)
* Herbert Agar
* Hilaire Belloc
* L. Brent Bozell Jr.
* Charles Coughlin
* Cecil Chesterton
* G. K. Chesterton
* Seward Collins
* Gustavo Corção
* Dorothy Day
* Adam Doboszyński
* Horacio de la Costa
* J. P. de Fonseka
* Eric Gill
* Douglas Hyde
* Saunders Lewis
* Peter Maurin
* Vincent McNabb
* Arthur Penty
* Hilary Pepler
* Óscar Romero
* Dorothy L. Sayers
* William Purcell Witcutt
Contemporary
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* Dale Ahlquist
* Albert Bikaj
* Phillip Blond
* Allan C. Carlson
* David W. Cooney
* Charles A. Coulombe
* Sean Domencic
* Călin Georgescu
* Bill Kauffman
* Race Mathews
* John C. Médaille
* John Papworth
* Joseph Pearce
*
* Douglas Rushkoff
* John Sharpe
* Richard Williamson
Key texts
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*
[
https://web.archive.org/web/20090720021418/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/leo_xiii/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum_en.html
Rerum novarum (1891)], papal encyclical by Pope Leo XIII.
*
[
https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/pius_xi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-xi_enc_19310515_quadragesimo-anno_en.html
Quadragesimo anno (1931)], papal encyclical by Pope Pius XI.
*
[
https://web.archive.org/web/20060114204743/https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_01051991_centesimus-annus_en.html
Centesimus Annus (1991)], papal encyclical by Pope John Paul II.
*
[
https://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20131124_evangelii-gaudium_en.html
Evangelii gaudium (2013)], apostolic exhortation by Pope Francis.
* [
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1717 'What's Wrong with the World'
(1910)] by G. K. Chesterton -
[
http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/~mward/gkc/books/ eText].
* [
https://archive.org/details/theoutlineofsanity 'The Outline of
Sanity' (1927)] by G. K. Chesterton.
* [
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2134 'Utopia of Usurers' (1917)]
by G. K. Chesterton.
* [
https://archive.org/details/servilestate00belliala 'The Servile
State' (1912)] by Hilaire Belloc.
* 'An Essay on The Restoration of Property' (1936) by Hilaire Belloc .
* 'Jobs of Our Own' (1999) by Race Mathews .
See also
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; Related concepts
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; Similar positions
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Further reading
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* Boyle, David.
[
https://www.therealpress.co.uk/product/back-to-the-land-print/'Back
to the Land: Distributism and the politics of life'] Steyning: The
Real Press, 2019.
* Cooney, Anthony. 'Distributism'.
* Kurland, Norman.
[
http://www.cesj.org/resources/articles-index/the-just-third-way-basic-principles-of-economic-and-social-justice-by-norman-g-kurland/
'The Just Third Way: Basic Principles of Economic and Social
Justice'], Center for Economic and Social Justice
* Sagar, S. 'Distributism'.
* Saltter, Alexander William. 'The Political Economy of Distributism:
Property, Liberty, and the Common Good.' Washington, DC. Catholic
University of America Press, 2023.
* '[
http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/~mward/gkc/books/debate.txt Shaw v
Chesterton: a Debate between George Bernard Shaw and G. K.
Chesterton]'.
*
[
https://web.archive.org/web/20110411052804/http://voicesofdemocracy.umd.edu/deliberative-topics/religion-morality-in-public-life/dorothy-day-union-square-speech-6-november-1965/
"Union Square Speech"] by Dorothy Day
* '[
http://www.hsnsw.asn.au/Distributism.html Distributism as a means
of achieving third way economics]', a paper for the Secular Party of
Australia written by Richard Howard of the Humanist Society of New
South Wales
* Pabst, Adrian.
[
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/jul/20/pope-benedict-capitalism-economics
"Pope Benedict's call for a civil economy"]. 'The Guardian', 20 July
2009.
External links
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* [
http://distributistreview.com/ The Distributist Review]
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=========
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Original Article:
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