Troy University’s Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy will explore the rebirth of socialism in the United States with “Socialism vs. Capitalism: A Debate” on Wednesday, April 10.
Featuring George Mason University professor Bryan Caplan, author of “The Myth of the Rational Voter,” and Penn State University professor John Marsh, author of “Class Dismissed: Why We Cannot Teach or Learn Our Way Out of Inequality,” the debate will provide a unique look into both socialist and capitalist agendas in America.
“The fall of the Berlin Wall and collapse of the Soviet Union seemingly settled the great ideological and economic debate of the 20thCentury in favor of capitalism,” said Dr. Dan Sutter, the Johnson Center’s director. “Today, socialism is experiencing a rebirth.”
Sutter points to self-described socialist Bernie Sanders, who won 43 percent of the votes in the Democratic presidential primaries in 2016, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s defeat of a ranking Democrat in her U.S. House of Representatives election in 2018 as indications of an uptick in socialist sentiment.
“Surveys reveal that at least as many millennials support socialism as capitalism. We want to look at what socialism means today, and what the alternative paths forward are for America’s economy,” he said.
The event is free, and the public is invited to attend the debate, which begins at 10 a.m. in the Trojan Center Theater. The Johnson Center is part of the Sorrell College of Business.
