Introduction to the special issue on market socialism

The idea of socialism seems to be back. In light of the economic crises of the past decade, the rise of right-wing populism and authoritarian capitalism, and the social and economic turmoil of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a cautious resurgence of socialist ideas in political philosophy, economics, and political debate. The aim of this Special Issue is to take up one particular aspect of the debate about socialism, namely the idea that there might be a middle ground between capitalism and a world without any kind of markets: This is the core of the concept of market socialism, which aims to combine the advantages of markets with the advantages of socialism. Obviously, the world is still deeply marked by inequality and injustice, and economic exploitation and misery. The role that capitalist markets play in this, whether they contribute to the problem or might also contribute to solutions, is quite debatable. Market socialism has been positioned here as an alternative.