The progressive utilization theory, known by its acronym prout, is an alternative economic and social model that aims to correct the defects of both capitalism and communism. this booklet is a short introduction to the basic features of this economic model, showing how its emphasis on cooperatives and economic democracy can cure the problems of today. the principles upon which prout is based are explained as is its vision for an improved system of political democracy and eventually an effective world government. review "as one world continues to fall apart and another one is in the midst of being created, we are thankful to dada vedaprajinanda for helping us use prout to envision this new world. as with his other books, dada takes the difficult and makes it easy to understand. we are all in debt to him."professor sohail inayatullah. inaugural unesco chair in futures studies. professor, tamkang university, taiwan; metafutureschool. dada vedaprajinananda is a writer, editor, singer-songwriter and a yoga-meditation teacher. he is the author of the wisdom of tantra, from brooklyn to benares and back, and numerous magazine, journal articles, podcasts and video productions compiled on his website dadaveda. he has released seven albums of original music since 2003. originally from new york, he has lectured, performed and taught in more than thirty countries and is currently based in the us.