‘The Mute Compulsion of Economic Relations’: Towards a Marxist Theory of the Abstract and Impersonal Power of Capital

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 3-32
Author(s):  
Søren Mau
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Marxist Theory ◽  
Economic Power ◽  
Distinct Form ◽  
Systematic Theory ◽  
Economic Relations

Abstract According to Marx’s unfinished critique of political economy, capitalist relations of production rely on what Marx refers to in Capital as ‘the mute compulsion of economic relations’. The aim of this article is to demonstrate that this constitutes a distinct form of economic power which cannot be reduced to either ideology or violence, and to provide the conceptual groundwork for a systematic theory of capital’s mute compulsion.

Three questions to political economy (An attempt of system introspection)

2018 ◽  
pp. 118-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. B. Kleiner
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Modern World ◽  
The Political ◽  
Economic Science ◽  
Linear Component ◽  
Capitalist System ◽  
Economic Space ◽  
Economic Relations ◽  
System Paradigm

The development of the system paradigm in economic science leads to the formulation of a number of important questions to the political economy as one of the basic directions of economic theory. In this article, on the basis of system introspection, three questions are considered. The first is the relevance of the class approach to the structuring of the socio-economic space; the second is the feasibility of revising the notion of property in the modern world; the third is the validity of the notion of changing formations as the sequence of “slave-owning system — feudal system — capitalist system”. It is shown that in modern society the system approach to the structuring of socio-economic space is more relevant than the class one. Today the classical notion of “property” does not reflect the diversity of production and economic relations in society and should be replaced by the notion of “system property”, which provides a significant expansion of the concepts of “subject of property” and “object of property”. The change of social formations along with the linear component has a more influential cyclic constituent and obeys the system-wide cyclic regularity that reflects the four-cycle sequence of the dominance of one of the subsystems of the macrosystem: project, object, environment and process.

From Globalisation to Revolution? The Porfirian Political Economy: An Essay on Issues and Interpretations

2009 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 347-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
PAOLO RIGUZZI
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Mexican Revolution ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Political ◽  
Economic Relations ◽  
Future Research Agenda ◽  
Current State ◽  
International Economic Relations ◽  
Economic Strategies ◽  
State Finance

AbstractThis essay evaluates the political economy of Mexico during the Porfirian period (1876–1911), with the aim of discussing advances in scholarship and presenting an outline of the elements for a future research agenda. To this end, the essay examines the current state of knowledge on four crucial aspects of the Mexican economy: growth and its dimensions; the state, finance and economic strategies; the construction and functioning of the internal market; and the international economic relations of Mexico during the first period of globalisation. In particular, it assesses the arguments that link features of Porfirian economic organisation with the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution in 1910.

scholarly journals POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CONTENT OF THE THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (5) ◽  
pp. 48-65
Author(s):  
ONYSHCHENKO Volodymyr
Keyword(s):  
International Economic ◽  
Political Economy ◽  
International Trade ◽  
Trade Policy ◽  
State Level ◽  
Trade Theory ◽  
Economic Relations ◽  
International Economic Relations ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Impact

Background. Dynamic changes in international economic relations and trade for thorough analysis and forecasting require an adequate paradigm of international trade theory, which would take into account not only economic and political factors of its development, but also the diverse civilizational context of the world community, which determines mental, social and cultural features of the development of a country. Problem research state. Problems of political economy in international trade to some extent affect the research of P. Krugman, M. Obstfeld, J. Frieden, E. Helpman, P. S. Afontsev, A. Mazaraki, T. Melnyk, V. Panchenko, N. Reznikova and others. But the structure of its methodological discourse and the subject of its research remain unclear. The aim of the articleis to clarify the political and economic discourse of the theory of international trade. Materials and methods. The materials of the research were the works of domestic and foreign specialists. In the process of preparing the article, general scientific research methods were used: historical, logical analysis, synthesis and abstraction. Results. Political economy is a normative manifestation of economic theory, which is formed under the influence of socio-economic and political concepts, the formed goals of social development. The subject of political economy of international trade – economic and socio-political relations that determine and accompany international trade and determine the goals and content of trade policy of its subjects. It is proposed to expand the mechanism of formation of relative advantages and trade policy of the country by including factors that determine not only its economic potential and specialization, but also the risks that may be caused by political decisions. It is argued that the problem of «protectionism vs liberalism» in international trade at the state level will always exist. It turns out that the problem of justice in international economic relations and trade is determined by the civilizational content of the development of countries, in which human capital plays a crucial role. Conclusion. The paradigm of political economy in international trade should be based on an expanded interpretation of relative benefits by assessing the impact of economic, social and political institutionson them, the peculiarities of national trade policies.

scholarly journals Reflections on Todd Wolfson’s Book “Digital Rebellion: The Birth of the Cyber Left”

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Fuchs
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Social Movements ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Media Studies ◽  
Marxist Theory ◽  
Creative Commons

This article presents a review of and reflections on Todd Wolfson’s (2014) book “Digital Rebellion: The Birth of the Cyber Left”. The book criticises the fetishisation of the digital and the neglect of political organisation and the analysis of class and capitalism in recent social movements. I contextualise Wolfson’s work by more broadly discussing the lack of engagement with capitalism, class, Marxist theory and political economy in social movement studies and social movement media studies as well as the naïve and celebratory idealism that results from this orientation and that does not help actual social movements in identifying the problems that their work is confronted with under capitalist conditions. Acknowledgement: This review has been simultaneously published in tripleC: Communication, Capitalism & Critique’s volume 13 and the International Journal of Communication’s volume 9 using Creative Commons licenses that allow the sharing of articles in journals.

Duterte’s Foreign Policy Pivot and Its Impact on Philippine Trade and Investments: An International Political Economy Perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 127-160
Author(s):  
Jenny D. Balboa
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Foreign Policy ◽  
International Political Economy ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The Political ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Economic Relations ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Trade And Investment

Abstract Since the Philippines elected President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016, the country’s foreign policy seems to have become more uncertain. President Duterte’s mercurial personality and antagonistic tirades against the country’s traditional Western allies, including the United States (US) and the European Union (EU), and his statements of building closer ties with China and Russia, had changed the political and diplomatic tone of the Philippines overall. Certainly, the political relationship between the Philippines and the West has been changed by Duterte’s strong remarks against the US and EU. Has this change spilled over to the economy? The paper presents an international political economy framework in examining the impact of Duterte’s foreign policy pivot to the country’s foreign economic relations, focusing on trade and investment. The paper argues that Duterte’s foreign policy shift is mainly shaped by Duterte’s “politics of survival”. Not firmly anchored in any idea, norms, or interest that can clearly benefit the country, Duterte is unable to provide coherent guidance and leadership on the foreign policy pivot, particularly on the economy. Duterte’s lack of guidance provided the technocrats with the policy space to continue the policies from the previous administration and not to divert radically from previous economic policies. The stability of the economic institutions provided a refuge in the period of uncertainty. As a result, the foreign economic relations of the Philippines has not radically shifted. The trade and investment situation of the Philippines remained stable, and economic relations with traditional partners are maintained.

For a Marxist Theory of Waste: Seven Remarks

2018 ◽  
pp. 187-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vinay Gidwani
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Marxist Theory ◽  
Human Potential ◽  
Planned Obsolescence

The concept of “waste”, operating in multiple registers, forms the basis for a series of forays into Marx and political economy. The chapter traverses a wide terrain: from over-accumulation of capital that portends economic crisis, to planned obsolescence as a response to under-consumption, to the proliferation of commodity detritus that threatens the ability of contemporary cities to function, to the artful and arduous toils of waste workers who salvage value from discards, to the wanton expenditure of human potential in precarious forms of employment that involve removal or repurposing of waste matter, to the global multiplication of superfluous populations who can be enrolled in populist mobilizations. Ultimately, the chapter wagers that “waste” can be the heterogeneous site for a generative quarrel between Marxist political economy and postcolonial critique.

scholarly journals Towards a Political Economy of Charging Regimes: Fines, Fees and Force in Uk Immigration Control

2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 579-599
Author(s):  
Jon Burnett ◽  
Fidelis Chebe
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
The Political ◽  
Freedom Of Information ◽  
Distinct Form ◽  
Immigration Enforcement ◽  
Freedom Of Information Act ◽  
Immigration Control ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Financial Power

Abstract Charging regimes and the extraction of revenue are integral components of immigration control in the United Kingdom. However, while these have been analysed in their individual guises, to date, there has been little substantive analysis bringing these regimes together and locating them at the centre of its enquiry. Drawing on data obtained through the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this paper consequently examines the functions of charging regimes as a distinct form of statecraft, focussing its attention on UK Visas and Immigration fees and charges, carrier sanctions, charges related to accessing services and civil penalties administered though immigration enforcement. Analysing their historical roots and their contemporary prevalence, it suggests that they contribute to the political economy of financial power, which has significant implications for understandings of criminalization and immigration enforcement.

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