A guy named Peter Frase considered this question in Jacobin magazine a while back (link below). His answer pivots around resources availability and social const

A guy named Peter Frase considered this question in Jacobin magazine a while back (link below). His answer pivots around resources availability and social construction. Based on these constructs he developed "Four Futures" as follows: -Egalitarianism and abundance: communism -Hierarchy and abundance: rentism -Egalitarianism and scarcity: socialism -Hierarchy and scarcity: exterminism Frase definitely swings from one side of the fence, so it may not be your kind of thing - but it's one take on the idea. http://jacobinmag.com/2011/12/four-futures/ http://jacobinmag.com/2011/12/four-futures/