Distributionism: A short  synopsis

Distributism, also known as distributionism and distributivism, is an anti-capitalist economic philosophy formulated by such Catholic thinkers as G. K. Chesterton and Hilaire Belloc to apply the principles of social justice theoretically articulated by the Roman Catholic Church. According to distributism, the ownership of the means of production should be spread as widely as possible among the populace, rather than being centralized under the control of a few state bureaucrats (some forms of socialism) or a minority of resource-commanding individuals (capitalism). A summary of distributism is found in Chesterton's statement: "Too much capitalism does not mean too many capitalists, but too few capitalists" ("The Uses of Diversity", 1921).

Distributism has often been described as a third way of economic order besides socialism and capitalism. It is now sometimes seen more realistically as an aspiration, which has been successfully realised in the short term by commitment to the principles of subsidarity and solidarity (these being built into financially independent local co-operatives). However, the elimination therein of usury and similar percentage-based profiteering in trade will need to be theoretically justified (in terms of the laws of circulation), and legally generalised (by restatement of business aims in company and banking law), if this system is to be a stable "third way" in the long term, rather than a strand in a mixed economy, forever defending itself against predatory capitalists.

History
While the papal encyclicals were a starting point, Belloc and Chesterton based much of their suggestions of what to change today by analysing what worked in medieval times before the development of the capitalist philosophy as first articulated by Jean Quidort (d. 1306) in the theory of homo economicus in De potestate regia et papali.

The articulation of Distributist ideas was based on 19th and 20th century Papal teachings, beginning with Pope Leo XIII's Rerum Novarum. Distributist thought is probably Biblical but certainly, with hindsight, already evident in medieval practice; its modern co-operative form is evident in the Jesuit 'reductions' in Paraguay, the origins of what is now being called the European Union, the Mondragon co-operatives in Spain and MacArthur's strategy for the post-war reconstruction of Japan (copied by Taiwan).

In 1930s America, distributism was treated in numerous essays by Chesterton, Belloc and others in The American Review, published and edited by Seward Collins.

Distributist thought was later adopted by the Catholic Worker movement, conjoining it with Peter Maurin's vision of a green revolution, and the thought of Dorothy Day concerning localized and independent communities. Its practical implementation in the form of local co-operatives has recently been documented by Race Mathews in Jobs of Our Own.

Private property
Under such a system, most people would be able to earn a living without having to rely on the use of the property of others to do so. Examples of people earning a living in this way would be farmers who own their own land and related machinery, plumbers who own their own tools, software developers who own their own computer, etc. The "co-operative" approach advances beyond this individualist perspective to recognise that such property and equipment may be "co-owned" by local communities larger than a family, e.g. partners in a business.

Guild system
The kind of economic order envisioned by the early distributist thinkers would involve the return to some sort of guild system. The present existence of labour unions does not constitute a realization of this facet of distributist economic order.

Banks
Distributism favours the elimination of the current private bank system, or in any case, its profit-making basis. This does not necessarily mean Nationalisation. It does mean Governments accepting their responsibility for ensuring justice, especially in the monetary system.

Social theory
The pioneers of the distributist movement wrote before the Information Era; their Christian roots, however, were in the theory of the Word of God. A forthcoming Distributist research program aims to examine the theoretical implications of linguistic communication capability being the specifically human basis of society, rather than power relationships or specific institutions. Just as electrical theory is the basis for the theory of operation of specific electronic systems, so technical communication theory as it has developed is envisaged as the basic theory of operation of specific social systems. C.f. sociology.

The human family
Distributism sees the trinitarian human family of one male, one female and their children as the central and primary social unit of human ordering and the principle unit of a functioning distributist society and civilization. This unit is however the basis of a multi-generational extended family, which is embedded in socially as well as genetically inter-related communities, nations etc and ultimately in the whole human family past, present and to come. The economic system of a society should therefore be focussed primarily on the flourishing of the family unit, but not in isolation: at the appropriate level of family context, as is intended in the principle of 'subsidiarity'.

Society of artisans
Distributism promotes a society of artisans and culture. This is influenced by an emphasis on small business, promotion of local culture, and favouring of small production over capitalistic mass production. A society of artisans promotes the distributist ideal of the unification of capital, ownership, and production rather than what distributism sees as an alienation of man from work.

Social security
Distributism favours the elimination of social security on the basis that it further alienates man by making him more dependent on the Servile State. Distributists such as Dorothy Day did not favour social security when it was introduced by the United States government. This rejection of this new program was due to the direct influence of the ideas of Hilaire Belloc over American distributists.

It does not follow that social security as it exists now should be simply eliminated: that is a fallacy (or cynical mis-use) of naive "either-or" logic. Social security will remain necessary just so long as people have no other means of acquiring a livelihood. Study of time-based logic has suggested an alternative solution. If everyone is paid before they work, they thus owe a fair share of what work they can do which they can see needs doing (rather than an employer owing [token] money just to those who have done work that he has prescribed). If the wages (including trader's incomes and, elsewhere, investment finances) take the form of interest-free loans, the money will be repaid for recirculation simply by its return to the bank when it is spent. Most people would want to continue earning it in the usual way, but those not so working would be expected by their local community to be doing a sufficient share of other necessary or worthwhile work: child-rearing, education, artistic creation, appropriate recreation etc., or voluntary work in the community or natural environment. Business would no longer be for monetary profit, but to create real benefits for the community. Crime would no longer be attractive as a way of acquiring a livelihood. In short, everyone would benefit from real social security without any need for demeaning and inadequate state-run monetary "social security".

Political order
Distributism does not favour one set of political order over another, whether it be from democracy to monarchism. Distributism does not necessarily support anarchism, though some distributists, such as Dorothy Day, were also anarchists. Distributism does not support political orders that go towards extremes of individualism or statism.

Political parties
Distributism does not attach itself to one national political party or another in any part of the world. There are some modern political parties in England, which espouse distributist views.

War
Distributists usually use Just War Theory in determining whether a war should be fought or not. Historical positions of distributist thinkers provides insight into a distributist position on war. Both Belloc and Chesterton opposed British imperialism and the Second Boer War. Cecil Chesterton fought in World War I.

Ultranationalist groups
Controversy in the Distributist community has occurred because of associations of distributism with some ultranationalist groups. This would include groups such as the British People’s Party, which holds some distributist views. The association of distributism with some ultranationalist groups is more considerable in Europe where some people see the usage of distributism to reflect an "old order" and return to "nationalistic roots" of a country.
 
Key texts
The Outline Of Sanity by G.K. Chesterton
What's Wrong With The World by G.K. Chesterton

Thinkers
Hilaire Belloc, Cecil Chesterton, G.K. Chesterton, Dorothy Day, Eric Gill, Fr.Vincent McNabb O.P., Arthur Penty

Also look at:
agrarianism, corporatism, mutualism, personalism

Links favourable to Distributism
http://www.distributism.com/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/distributism/ Distributism Yahoo Group
http://www.distributism.org/
http://www.geocities.com/kevinjjonesy/distributism/
http://www.justpeace.org/distribute.htm
http://mdemarco.web.wesleyan.edu/gkc/distrib/
http://distributism.blogspot.com/ "The Distributist Review" weblog
The Servile State by Hilaire Belloc
An Essay on The Restoration of Property by Hilaire Belloc
Utopia of Usurers by G.K. Chesterton