This book examines the American industrial strategy, from the late 70s to the present day, in what is now known as the ‘neoliberal era’. The author illustrates the ways in which the protection and promotion of American companies and industries took place in the context of the international ‘free market’. He provides clear evidence of how the economic power of the United States – wielded to influence the formal and informal institutions of the neoliberal order – has been used as a tool for enhancing its competitive advantage against other world economies.
Conventional theories of capitalism are mired in a deep crisis: after centuries of debate, they are still unable to tell us what capital is. Liberals and Marxists both think of capital as an ‘economic’ entity that they count in universal units of ‘utils’ or ‘abstract labour’, respectively. But these units are totally fictitious. Nobody has ever been able to observe or measure them, and for a good reason: they don’t exist. Since liberalism and Marxism depend on these non-existing units, their theories hang in suspension. They cannot explain the process that matters most – the accumulation of capital. This book offers a radical alternative. According to the authors, capital is not a narrow economic entity, but a symbolic quantification of power. It has little to do with utility or abstract labour, and it extends far beyond machines and production lines. Capital, the authors claim, represents the organized power of dominant capital groups to reshape – or creorder – their society. Written in simple language, accessible to lay readers and experts alike, the book develops a novel political economy. It takes the reader through the history, assumptions and limitations of mainstream economics and its associated theories of politics. It examines the evolution of Marxist thinking on accumulation and the state. And it articulates an innovative theory of ‘capital as power’ and a new history of the ‘capitalist mode of power’.
"An extraordinary book that explores the deep roots of the American democracy, identifying the political, economic and social transformations through an acute and profound analysis of the powers that structure society. A book needed to understand the current situation not only of the United States, but of the entire Western world."--Patrizio Bianchi, University of Ferrara, Italy and Regional Minister of the Emilia-Romagna Government "This book offers a subtle, textured, clear and compelling account of the US industrial policy and strategy, drawing upon a grand historical analysis and a rich and detailed study of the current neoliberal era. Tassinari examines the evolution of the US policies and institutions both in the short term and the long-term, in the light of national as well as global concerns and modes of governance. An invaluable contribution." --Alfredo Saad Filho, SOAS, University of London, England. "This innovative book offers a unique analysis of the political economy of the industry-government relationship in the US. It should be read by scholars, researchers and policy makers genuinely interested in rethinking industrial and development policies." --Marco R. Di Tommaso, University of Ferrara (Italy) and Director of c. MET05 This book examines the American industrial strategy, from the late 70s to the present day, in what is now known as the 'neoliberal era'. The author illustrates the ways in which the protection and promotion of American companies and industries took place in the context of the international 'free market'. He provides clear evidence of how the economic power of the United States - wielded to influence the formal and informal institutions of the neoliberal order - has been used as a tool for enhancing its competitive advantage against other world economies. Mattia Tassinari teaches Industrial Economics and Policy at the University of Ferrara, Italy, where he works as Research Fellow. He is also researcher at the c. MET05 (Inter-university Centre for Applied Economic Studies to Industrial Policies, Local Development and Internationalization). He is consultant for several international organizations, such as UNIDO (United Nations Industrial Development Organization) and ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean).--
"Capital is the defining feature of modern economies, yet most people have no idea where it actually comes from. What is it, exactly, that transforms mere wealth into an asset that automatically creates more wealth? The Code of Capital explains how capital is created behind closed doors in the offices of private attorneys, and why this little-known fact is one of the biggest reasons for the widening wealth gap between the holders of capital and everybody else. In this revealing book, Katharina Pistor argues that the law selectively "codes" certain assets, endowing them with the capacity to protect and produce private wealth. With the right legal coding, any object, claim, or idea can be turned into capital - and lawyers are the keepers of the code. Pistor describes how they pick and choose among different legal systems and legal devices for the ones that best serve their clients' needs, and how techniques that were first perfected centuries ago to code landholdings as capital are being used today to code stocks, bonds, ideas, and even expectations--assets that exist only in law. A powerful new way of thinking about one of the most pernicious problems of our time, The Code of Capital explores the different ways that debt, complex financial products, and other assets are coded to give financial advantage to their holders. This provocative book paints a troubling portrait of the pervasive global nature of the code, the people who shape it, and the governments that enforce it."--Provided by publisher.
These are powerful times. Fundamental change is around the corner, but the concrete manifestations are unpredictable. Past trends will, less than ever, be a reliable orientation for desirable action. Adopting familiar game plans, reinforcing standard procedures and implementing strategies which were successful in the good old days of the second half of the 20th century are no longer a guarantee for an adequate solution. And even if they seem to alleviate a problem in the short term, they may lay the roots for failure in the longer term.What is needed in such a situation is the enhancement of resilience to facilitate the absorption of the unexpected and the unforeseeable; strengthening of the capacity to adjust innovatively and flexibly to rapidly changing political, economic, social and technological circumstances; and, in the political arena, to stretch what interest groups and the public believe is socially acceptable and thus politically feasible. This is the lesson to be learned from the 2,000 year long history of globalisation and the story of one city, Hamburg, which for 1,000 years has successfully remained on the side of the winners.
Social forces are important determinants of how people behave, how economies work at the macroeconomic level, and the effectiveness of economic policies. However, this dimension is generally overlooked in mainstream economics. How Social Forces Impact the Economy demonstrates that a broader conception of social economics provides for a better understanding of how economies work as a whole. This book argues that adopting a truly social approach to economics opens the door to studying how people form preferences, and how they learn by taking cues from others about how to behave and what to consume. Each chapter contributor works to highlight the breadth of new insights and possibilities that emerge from a fuller understanding of social economics. Part I focuses on microeconomics, bringing individual behaviors and individual entrepreneurs into a more social context. Part II focuses on macroeconomic topics, such as how money and quasi-monies (like Bitcoins) are social, how money developed as a social institution, and how social forces matter for economic development. Finally, Part III looks at the consequences of considering social factors when it comes to policy: environmental policy, industrial policy, and policies promoting greater equality. This book is invaluable reading to anyone interested in the relationship between economics and sociology, how social forces affect policy effectiveness, human behavior, and the overall economy.
Providing an overview of industrial development using a variety of different approaches and perspectives, the Handbook of Industrial Development brings together expert contributors and highlights the current multiple and interdependent challenges that can only be addressed by an interdisciplinary approach. Chapters discuss the existing issues faced by industry following both the digital and environmental transitions, highlighting their regional roots and the interplay with the wider institutional framework.
We are delighted to introduce the proceeding of the 1st Hasanuddin International Conference on Social and Political Sciences (HICOSPOS 2019). The phenomenon of climate change is avoidable since its effects are significantly on both environment and human beings live - such as human health, agriculture, food security, water supply, energy, ecosystem and. Here human beings play role as the actors as well as the victim. In addition, we also face society 5.0 in which integrated system of digital technology brings humans to achieve a high quality of life ideally, however, this state requires hard and sustainable efforts from all parties such as community of social and political sciences. Since every steps of society achievements also bring its consequences in terms of culture, and socio-political changes both positive and negative effects. Complexity phenomena of climate change in one side, and society 5.0 in other side, it turns should be responded by providing collaborative works among scholars and decision makers. International conference, therefore, becoming a scientific way to experts especially social and political sciences to share and contribute to solve the problems that arise from climate change and society 5.0. We hope that the proceeding will contribute to dynamic science discourse for responding social and climate changes challenges.
The bestselling author of No Logo shows how the global "free market" has exploited crises and shock for three decades, from Chile to Iraq In her groundbreaking reporting, Naomi Klein introduced the term "disaster capitalism." Whether covering Baghdad after the U.S. occupation, Sri Lanka in the wake of the tsunami, or New Orleans post-Katrina, she witnessed something remarkably similar. People still reeling from catastrophe were being hit again, this time with economic "shock treatment," losing their land and homes to rapid-fire corporate makeovers. The Shock Doctrine retells the story of the most dominant ideology of our time, Milton Friedman's free market economic revolution. In contrast to the popular myth of this movement's peaceful global victory, Klein shows how it has exploited moments of shock and extreme violence in order to implement its economic policies in so many parts of the world from Latin America and Eastern Europe to South Africa, Russia, and Iraq. At the core of disaster capitalism is the use of cataclysmic events to advance radical privatization combined with the privatization of the disaster response itself. Klein argues that by capitalizing on crises, created by nature or war, the disaster capitalism complex now exists as a booming new economy, and is the violent culmination of a radical economic project that has been incubating for fifty years.
“This superbly succinct and incisive book” on urban planning and real estate argues gentrification isn’t driven by latte-sipping hipsters—but is engineered by the capitalist state (Michael Sorkin, author of All Over the Map) Our cities are changing. Around the world, more and more money is being invested in buildings and land. Real estate is now a $217 trillion dollar industry, worth thirty-six times the value of all the gold ever mined. It forms sixty percent of global assets, and one of the most powerful people in the world—the former president of the United States—made his name as a landlord and developer. Samuel Stein shows that this explosive transformation of urban life and politics has been driven not only by the tastes of wealthy newcomers, but by the state-driven process of urban planning. Planning agencies provide a unique window into the ways the state uses and is used by capital, and the means by which urban renovations are translated into rising real estate values and rising rents. Capital City explains the role of planners in the real estate state, as well as the remarkable power of planning to reclaim urban life.
