No Local: Why Small-Scale Alternatives Won't Change The World

No Local: Why Small-Scale Alternatives Won't Change The World

Can making things smaller make the world a better place? No Local takes a critical look at localism, an ideology that says small businesses, ethical shopping and community initiatives like gardens and farmersâ€™ markets can stop corporate globalization. These small acts might make life better for some, but they donâ€™t challenge the drive for profit thatâ€™s damaging our communities and the earth. No Local shows how localismâ€™s fixation on small comes from an outdated economic model. Growth is built into capitalism. Small firms must play by the same rules as large ones, cutting costs, exploiting workers and damaging the environment. Localism doesnâ€™t ask who controls production, allowing it to be co-opted by governments offloading social services onto the poor. At worst, localism becomes a strategy for neoliberal politics, not an alternative to it. No Local draws on political theory, history, philosophy and empirical evidence to argue that small isnâ€™t always beautiful. Building a better world means creating local social movements that grow to challenge, not avoid, market priorities.

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