ABSTRACT
Common ownership of property, self-labour and collective control over the disposal of manpower are among the distinguishing characteristics of the kibbutz. This chapter explores the various facets of the case against collectives, which apply to the kibbutz. It analyses the impact of the Principle of Equality on the labour/leisure option, on effort, on factor allocation and output composition, on the choice between present and deferred consumption, and on the composition of consumption expenditure, describes the nature of the issues involved. The chapter offers some insights on the reasons for kibbutz survival and hopefully identifies the sine qua non of this genus of social entity. The political environment has a notorious preference for the present; in the corridors of power ‘the future has no constituency’.
