ss 1,2

prout.econ

Balanced Economy

November 12, 1994

Q: Are the percentages of workers in the different economic sectors required for a balanced economy particular to a certain time place and condition or do the percentages given in Prout in a Nutshell have universal application?

You know, there may be some variation between one country and another, depending on the technological development of that country, but still there will be more commonality than is presently seen, because in many highly developed countries, the farming methods employed require very few personnel. But they are reflections, not of a democratic economic approach, but they are reflections of the multinational centralized approach.

If economic democracy becomes the modality, then there will be the establishment of local control and distribution of farmable lands to local people, and again many of the large communes or large capitalist farming programs will once again be replaced by the single farmer, the family farm. The family farm is part and parcel of the local economic approach, of economic democracy.

So, when the family farm returns, there will be a more balanced approach, and more of the population will be employed. And in undeveloped nations, as they come up in their technological development, less of the population will be employed in farming, because a well run family farm can be very efficient. It need not be simply a few acres; it may be quite large, but not massive, not so that so many workers work under one farmer and it is a big business. Not like that. Just a family farm, perhaps two families together, but no more so that the children may work in the farm, the relatives may work, or perhaps there are a few workers - but not such a big corporate farm, not so large. More of the simple family farm should be the approach.

Likewise, in the industrial sector, you will find that the figures may go up in the undeveloped countries and down in the technologically developed countries. You see, as technology is developed, less and less workers will be needed in the actual production of goods, as those production processes will become more automated. But those workers will be freed to have the family farm or to have other service-minded pursuits. The service industry will grow larger.

But the basic distribution of workers will naturally sort out, and the difference between technologically developed and undeveloped countries will get evened out in a balanced Proutist economic approach. So when there is economic democracy and localized control, this balance will begin to be seen. There may be some difference from one area to another, but there will be far more similarity.