After Capitalism: What the Signals Are Saying Q2 2026

Here is the second quarterly check-in for 2026 on what the signals are saying regarding After Capitalism. Perpetual competition, Swifties, and DUNAs (not Tuna) … Dig in! (See Q1 2026 here.) Drum roll please!

The Human Cost of Perpetual Competition: Capitalism as a Human Rights Issue

Capitalism reaps true benefits for only a small percentage of people while, by design, demanding continuous growth, efficiency, and market dominance to survive. This creates a cycle of perpetual competition in which corporations, governments, and individuals are locked into an escalating race with no defined finish line. This article investigates this cycle as a human rights concern.

Why Taylor Swift fans can’t resist buying up 34 versions of The Life of a Showgirl

34 versions of the same album! A range of covers, colored vinyl, bonus tracks, and signed inserts turned one album into a collectable series rather than a single product. Apparently other artists, such as the Rolling Stones, have tried this before, but not at this scale. Pay attention class! Economists call this “versioning:” offering multiple versions of the same product so customers reveal how much they are willing to pay.

DUNA: Decentralized Unincorporated Nonprofit Association” Act. Say what? The DUNA provides legal status for decentralized organizations and limited liability protections for their members and administrators. Three states have passed it. Wyoming (first) and Alabama and West Virginia. Not exactly tech hotbeds, but what do they have in common? Sorta decentralized, spread out, off-the-grid-ish types of places, where you might run experiments in how to organize differently. The direct connection is helping to enable decentralized governance that is essential to crypto’s future, and providing a legal structure that fits decentralized organizations.