Why read The Mystery of the Kibbutz?

Book cover of The Mystery of the Kibbutz: Egalitarian Principles in a Capitalist World

Book description

How kibbutzim thrived for much of the twentieth century despite their inherent economic contradictions The kibbutz is a social experiment in collective living that challenges traditional economic theory. By sharing all income and resources equally among its members, the kibbutz system created strong incentives to free ride or--as in the…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Mystery of the Kibbutz as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

David Leach

Author

The kibbutz where I once lived had been founded by hardcore Romanian Marxists, so decades later, I was shocked to learn its factory was listed on the NASDAQ exchange. The work of Stanford economist Ran Abramitzky helped me to make sense of the causes and effects of the 100-year-old kibbutz movement’s turbulent evolution from hard socialism to soft capitalism.

This book distills his academic research into clear and readable prose (rare for an economist!), illustrated with anecdotes from his extended family’s kibbutz experiences.

From David's list on Israel’s utopian kibbutz movement.