Sharing Economy

Stewart Lansley

Could social wealth funds reduce inequality and tackle austerity? A Sharing Economy proposes radical new ways to close the growing income gap and spread social opportunities. Drawing on international examples, Stewart Lansley argues that mobilizing the huge financial potential of UK public assets could pay for a pioneering new social wealth fund. By strengthening the social assets base, such a fund would boost economic and social investment and simultaneously strengthen public finances. Social wealth funds could also, he argues, ensure that more of the gains from economic activity are shared by all rather than consumed by a powerful few, as well as possibly win widespread public and political support. Offering a powerful antidote to the rhetoric and policies of austerity, this is a fascinating, topical contribution to current debates about social economics.--