Arguments from Kropotkin

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The economic principle I’m exploring is “People generally respond to incentives in predictable ways” and “Institutions are the “rules of the game” that influence choices.”

My research question to help me study the economic principle is “What kind of incentive structure would there be in a Libertarian Socialist society?”

The book published in Le Révolté titled The Conquest of Bread demonstrates this economic principle because it argues that wagedom and Capitalism not only are unnecessary to incentivise labor, but also fail to incentivise productive labor. 

In the twelfth chapter titled "Objections", Kropotkin poses a common argument against Communism, that “if the existence of each is guaranteed, and if the necessity of earning wages does not compel men to work, nobody will work. Every man will lay the burden of his work on another if he is not forced to do it himself.” Before refuting this claim, he criticizes the careless handling of this subject in relation to those of much less importance as the ones repeating this objection “limit themselves to repeating commonplace assertions, or else they pretend ignorance of our assertions.” Beginning his refutation, he examines similar fears expressed of change in the past, like those of “anti-abolitionists in America before Negro emancipation and by the Russian nobility before the liberation of the serfs.” He quotes, “‘Without the whip the Negro will not work,’ said the anti-abolitionist. ‘Free from their master’s supervision the serfs will leave the fields uncultivated,’ said the Russian serf-owners.” In this he is showing how history has proven that fears that laziness or lack of labor would rise without some hierarchy or master putting fear into the workers are nonsense. In further refutation, he states that "economists taught us that if a wage-earner’s work is but indifferent, an intense and productive work is only obtained from a man who sees his wealth increase in proportion to his efforts? All hymns sung in honour of private property can be reduced to this axiom." Using their own argument, he has effectively argued against private property and in support of Communism. 

The next section of this chapter begins to explain the flaws of Capitalism in incentivising labor. Kropotkin states that "Now work indispensable to existence is essentially manual… And it is precisely this labour — basis of life — that everyone tries to avoid." This is a universally accepted and applicable observation, at least in the western world, but what really matters is his analysis of exactly why this is. "Because, to do manual work now, means in reality to shut yourself up for ten or twelve hours a day in an unhealthy workshop… We understand that all men have but one dream — that of emerging from, or enabling their children to emerge from this inferior state; to create for themselves an “independent” position, which means what? — To also live by other men’s work!" His main argument is expressed here. Capitalism allows for the very fears that Capitalists have of Communism to be practiced. Kropotkin attributes this to the distinction between "a class of manual workers and a class of “brain” workers, black hands and white hands" and calls for "Social Revolution [so that] then work will no longer appear a curse of fate: it will become what it should be — the free exercise of all the faculties of man." It is made clear that Communists do not dream of laziness, rather they dream of a world in which workers do not suffer under their boss and produce all that they have to offer.
In my next blog post I will research:  Human nature