### **Henry George’s Georgism: A Radical Alternative to Smith, Marx, and Neoliberalism** Henry George’s **Georgism** (or "geoism") is a heterodox economic philosophy that critiques land [[Monopolies]] and proposes a **land value tax (LVT)** as a solution to inequality. Bridging classical [[Liberalism]] and socialist thought, George’s ideas intersect—and clash—with **[[Adam Smith]]’s free-market optimism, [[Karl Marx]]’s class struggle**, and **neoliberalism’s market fetishism**. --- ### **1. Georgism vs. Adam Smith: Shared Roots, Divergent Remedies** **Common Ground**: - Both George and Smith **reject mercantilism**, emphasizing free trade and minimal interference in labor/capital. - Smith’s *Wealth of Nations* critiques landlords as parasitic—a theme George amplifies. **Key Contrast**: - **Smith’s Invisible Hand** trusts market competition to balance interests, while George argues land monopolies **distort markets** by enabling rent-seeking. - George’s **single tax (LVT)** targets unearned land wealth, whereas Smith supports broader taxation (e.g., income, trade). **Interconnection**: George radicalizes Smith’s skepticism of landlords, turning it into a **systemic reform** rather than a cautionary note. --- ### **2. Georgism vs. Marxism: Reform vs. Revolution** **Common Ground**: - Both diagnose **landlordism** as exploitative. - Both seek to eliminate unearned wealth (George via tax, Marx via abolition of private property). **Key Contrast**: - **Marx** sees [[Capitalism]] itself as the problem, requiring worker ownership. **George** blames land monopolies, preserving private enterprise. - Marx advocates **class revolution**; George proposes **policy reform** (LVT as a peaceful fix). **Interconnection**: Georgism appeals to **left-libertarians** as a "market-friendly" alternative to Marxism, avoiding state [[Socialism]] while redistributing rent. --- ### **3. Georgism vs. Neoliberalism: Taxing Rent vs. Unleashing Markets** **Common Ground**: - Both favor **free trade** and oppose excessive regulation. - Neoliberals (e.g., [[Milton Friedman]]) occasionally praised LVT’s efficiency. **Key Contrast**: - Neoliberalism **deregulates capital and labor**; Georgism **regulates land ownership** to prevent rentier capitalism. - Neoliberalism tolerates wealth inequality; Georgism sees LVT as a tool for **equitable growth**. **Interconnection**: Georgism’s LVT aligns with neoliberal **"Pigovian tax"** logic (taxing negative externalities), but rejects neoliberalism’s indifference to asset inequality. --- ### **Why Georgism Still Matters** George’s ideas resurface in modern debates: - **Tech feudalism**: Critics like Yanis Varoufakis echo George’s warnings about asset monopolies (e.g., digital platforms as "new landlords"). - **Housing crises**: LVT is proposed to curb real estate speculation (e.g., in Taiwan, parts of Australia). - **UBI proposals**: Some suggest funding UBI via land rents (a Georgist twist). **Tags**: #PoliticalEconomy #LandTax #Inequality #HeterodoxEconomics `Concepts:` `Knowledge Base:`