Author: Michael Perelman Publisher: NYU Press ISBN: 1583672621 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 362
Book Description
Mainstream, or more formally, neoclassical, economics claims to be a science. But as Michael Perelman makes clear in his latest book, nothing could be further from the truth. While a science must be rooted in material reality, mainstream economics ignores or distorts the most fundamental aspect of this reality: that the vast majority of people must, out of necessity, labor on behalf of others, transformed into nothing but a means to the end of maximum profits for their employers. The nature of the work we do and the conditions under which we do it profoundly shape our lives. And yet, both of these factors are peripheral to mainstream economics. By sweeping labor under the rug, mainstream economists hide the nature of capitalism, making it appear to be a system based upon equal exchange rather than exploitation inside every workplace. Perelman describes this illusion as the "invisible handcuffs" of capitalism and traces its roots back to Adam Smith and his contemporaries and their disdain for working people. He argues that far from being a basically fair system of exchanges regulated by the "invisible hand" of the market, capitalism handcuffs working men and women (and children too) through the very labor process itself. Neoclassical economics attempts to rationalize these handcuffs and tells workers that they are responsible for their own conditions. What we need to do instead, Perelman suggests, is eliminate the handcuffs through collective actions and build a society that we direct ourselves.
Author: Peter Foster Publisher: ISBN: 9780992127602 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
In Why We Bite the Invisible Hand, Peter Foster delves into a conundrum: How can we at once live in a world of expanding technological wonders and unprecedented well-being, and yet hear a constant drumbeat of condemnation of the system that created it? That system, capitalism, which is based on private property and voluntary dealings, is guided by the "Invisible Hand," the metaphor for economic markets associated with the great Eighteenth Century Scottish philosopher Adam Smith. The hand guides people to serve others while pursuing their own interests, and produces a broader good that, as Smith put it, is "no part of their intention." Critics. however, claim that the hand is tainted by greed, leads to inequity and dangerous corporate power, and threatens not merely resource depletion but planetary disaster. Foster probes misunderstanding, fear and dislike of capitalism from the dark satanic mills of the Industrial Revolution through to the murky concept of sustainable development. His journey takes him from Kirkcaldy, the town of Smith's birth, through Moscow McDonald's and Karl Marx's Manchester, on a trip to Cuba to smuggle dollars, and into the backrooms of the United Nations. His cast of characters includes the man who wrote the entry for "capitalism" in the Great Soviet Encyclopaedia, a family of Kirkcaldy butchers, radical individualist Ayn Rand, father of evolutionary theory Charles Darwin, numerous Nobel prizewinning economists, colonies of chimpanzees, and "philanthrocapitalist" Bill Gates. Foster suggests that the key to his conundrum lies in the field of evolutionary psychology, which offers to help us understand both why some of what Adam Smith called our complex "moral sentiments" may be outdated, and why so many of our economic assumptions tend to be wrong. We are hunter gatherers with iPhones. The Invisible Hand is counterintuitive to minds formed predominantly in small close-knit tribal communities where there were no extensive markets, no money, no technological advance and no economic growth. Equally important, we don't have to understand the rapidly evolving economic "natural order" to operate within it and enjoy its benefits any more than we need to understand our nervous or respiratory systems to stay alive. But that also makes us prone to support morally-appealing but counterproductive policies, such as minimum wage legislation. Foster notes that politicians and bureaucrats -- consciously or unconsciously -- exploit moral confusion and economic ignorance. Ideological obsession with market imperfections, income gaps, corporate power, resource exhaustion and the environment are useful justifications for those seeking political control of our lives. The book refutes claims that capitalism's validity depends on the system being "perfect" or economic actors "rational." It also notes the key difference between capitalism and capitalists, who are inclined to misunderstand the system as much as anyone. Foster points to the astonishing rise in recent decades of radical, unelected environmental non-governmental organizations, ENGOs. Closely related to that rise, Foster examines with one of the biggest and most contentious issues of our time: projected catastrophic man-made climate change. He notes that while this theory is cited as the greatest example in history of "market failure," it in fact demonstrates how both scientific analysis and economic policy can become perverted once something is framed as a "moral issue," and thus allegedly "beyond debate." Foster's book is not a paean to greed, selfishness or radical individualism. He stresses that the greatest joys in life come from family, friendship and participation in community, sport and the arts. What has long fascinated him is the relentless claim that capitalism taints or destroys these aspects of humanity rather than promoting them. Moreover, he concludes, when you bite the Invisible Hand... it always bites back.
Author: Nikos Karagiannis Publisher: ISBN: 9781463665036 Category : Languages : en Pages : 126
Book Description
ContentsINTRODUCTION AND PLAN OF THE WORK.BOOK I. OF THE CAUSES OF IMPROVEMENT IN THE PRODUCTIVE POWERS OF LABOUR, AND OF THE ORDER ACCORDING TO WHICH ITS PRODUCE IS NATURALLY DISTRIBUTED AMONG THE DIFFERENT RANKS OF THE PEOPLE.CHAPTER I. OF THE DIVISION OF LABOUR.CHAPTER II. OF THE PRINCIPLE WHICH GIVES OCCASION TO THE DIVISION OF LABOUR.CHAPTER III. THAT THE DIVISION OF LABOUR IS LIMITED BY THE EXTENT OF THE MARKET.CHAPTER IV. OF THE ORIGIN AND USE OF MONEY.CHAPTER V. OF THE REAL AND NOMINAL PRICE OF COMMODITIES, OR OF THEIR PRICE IN LABOUR, AND THEIR PRICE IN MONEY.CHAPTER VI. OF THE COMPONENT PART OF THE PRICE OF COMMODITIES.CHAPTER VII. OF THE NATURAL AND MARKET PRICE OF COMMODITIES.CHAPTER VIII. OF THE WAGES OF LABOUR.CHAPTER IX. OF THE PROFITS OF STOCK.CHAPTER X. OF WAGES AND PROFIT IN THE DIFFERENT EMPLOYMENTS OF LABOUR AND STOCK.CHAPTER XI. OF THE RENT OF LAND.BOOK II. OF THE NATURE, ACCUMULATION, AND EMPLOYMENT OF STOCK.CHAPTER I. OF THE DIVISION OF STOCK.CHAPTER II. OF MONEY, CONSIDERED AS A PARTICULAR BRANCH OF THE GENERAL STOCK OF THE SOCIETY, OR OF THE EXPENSE OF MAINTAINING THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.CHAPTER III. OF THE ACCUMULATION OF CAPITAL, OR OF PRODUCTIVE AND UNPRODUCTIVE LABOUR.CHAPTER IV. OF STOCK LENT AT INTEREST.CHAPTER V. OF THE DIFFERENT EMPLOYMENTS OF CAPITALS.BOOK III. OF THE DIFFERENT PROGRESS OF OPULENCE IN DIFFERENT NATIONSCHAPTER I. OF THE NATURAL PROGRESS OF OPULENCE.CHAPTER II. OF THE DISCOURAGEMENT OF AGRICULTURE IN THE ANCIENT STATE OF EUROPE, AFTER THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.2CHAPTER III. OF THE RISE AND PROGRESS OF CITIES AND TOWNS, AFTER THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.CHAPTER IV. HOW THE COMMERCE OF TOWNS CONTRIBUTED TO THE IMPROVEMENT OF THE COUNTRY.BOOK IV. OF SYSTEMS OF POLITICAL
Author: Warren J. Samuels Publisher: ISBN: Category : BUSINESS & ECONOMICS Languages : en Pages : 329
Book Description
"This book examines the use, principally in economics, of the concept of the invisible hand, centering on Adam Smith. It interprets the concept as ideology, knowledge, and a linguistic phenomenon. It shows how the principal Chicago School interpretation misperceives and distorts what Smith believed on the economic role of government. The essays further show how Smith was silent as to his intended meaning, using the term to set minds at rest; how the claim that the invisible hand is the foundational concept of economics is repudiated by numerous leading economic theorists; that several dozen identities given the invisible hand renders the term ambiguous and inconclusive; that no such thing as an invisible hand exists; and that calling something an invisible hand adds nothing to knowledge. Finally, the essays show that the leading doctrines purporting to claim an invisible hand for the case for capitalism cannot invoke the term but that other nonnormative invisible hand processes are still useful tools"--
Author: Grace Blakeley Publisher: Simon and Schuster ISBN: 1982180870 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 281
Book Description
A Next Big Idea Book Club Must-Read for March 2024 In the vein of The Shock Doctrine and Evil Geniuses, this timely manifesto from an acclaimed journalist illustrates how corporate and political power brokers have used planned capitalism to advance their own interests at the expense of the rest of us—and how we can take back our economy for all. It’s easy to look at the state of the world around us and feel hopeless. We live in an era marked by war, climate crisis, political polarization, and acute inequality—and yet many of us feel powerless to do anything about these profound issues. We’ve been assured that unfettered capitalism is necessary to ensure our freedom and prosperity, even as we see its corrosive effects proliferating daily. Why, in our age of unchecked corporate power, are most of us living paycheck to paycheck? When the economy falters, why do governments bail out corporations and shareholders but leave everyday people in the dust? Now, economic and political journalist and progressive star on the rise Grace Blakeley exposes the corrupt system that is failing all around us, pulling back the curtain on the free market mythology we have been sold, and showing how, as corporate interests have taken hold, governments have historically been shifting away from competition and democracy and towards monopoly and oligarchy. Tracing over a century of neoliberal planning and backdoor bailouts, Blakeley takes us on a deeply reported tour of the corporate crimes, political maneuvering, and economic manipulation that elites have used to enshrine a global system of “vulture capitalism”—planned capitalist economies that benefit corporations and the uber-wealthy at the expense of the rest of us—at every level, from states to empires. Blakeley exposes the cracks already emerging within capitalism, lighting a path forward for how we can democratize our economy, not just our politics, to ensure true freedom for all.
Author: Fouad Sabry Publisher: One Billion Knowledgeable ISBN: Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 451
Book Description
What is Invisible Hand The phrase "the invisible hand" is a metaphor that was developed by Adam Smith, a Scottish moral philosopher. It is used to explain the incentives that free markets frequently generate for individuals who are motivated by their own self-interest to act in the benefit of the public. In the beginning, Smith only offered particular examples when he invoked the phrase. It is mentioned once in his Theory of Moral Sentiments, which was published in 1759, as a component of an argument that defends monopolistic land ownership through the trickle-down effect. However, it is also used once in his Wealth of Nations, where he explains that foreign traders can be trusted provided the incentives are appropriate, which frequently eliminates the need for governments to intervene. This is the most famous usage of the phrase. How you will benefit (I) Insights, and validations about the following topics: Chapter 1: Invisible hand Chapter 2: Adam Smith Chapter 3: David Ricardo Chapter 4: Economics Chapter 5: Free market Chapter 6: Homo economicus Chapter 7: Index of economics articles Chapter 8: Laissez-faire Chapter 9: Capital (economics) Chapter 10: Classical economics Chapter 11: The Wealth of Nations Chapter 12: History of capitalist theory Chapter 13: Productive and unproductive labour Chapter 14: Returns (economics) Chapter 15: History of economic thought Chapter 16: Preference (economics) Chapter 17: Economic liberalism Chapter 18: Perspectives on capitalism by school of thought Chapter 19: Justice and the Market Chapter 20: Economic democracy Chapter 21: Economic opportunism (II) Answering the public top questions about invisible hand. (III) Real world examples for the usage of invisible hand in many fields. Who this book is for Professionals, undergraduate and graduate students, enthusiasts, hobbyists, and those who want to go beyond basic knowledge or information for any kind of invisible hand.
Author: Michael Heinrich Publisher: NYU Press ISBN: 1583672915 Category : Political Science Languages : en Pages : 240
Book Description
The global economic crisis and recession that began in 2008 had at least one unexpected outcome: a surge in sales of Karl Marx's Capital. Although mainstream economists and commentators once dismissed Marx's work as outmoded and flawed, some are begrudgingly acknowledging an analysis that sees capitalism as inherently unstable. And of course, there are those, like Michael Heinrich, who have seen the value of Marx all along, and are in a unique position to explain the intricacies of Marx's thought. Heinrich's modern interpretation of Capital is now available to English-speaking readers for the first time. It has gone through nine editions in Germany, is the standard work for Marxist study groups, and is used widely in German universities. The author systematically covers all three volumes of Capital and explains all the basic aspects of Marx's critique of capitalism in a way that is clear and concise. He provides background information on the intellectual and political milieu in which Marx worked, and looks at crucial issues beyond the scope of Capital, such as class struggle, the relationship between capital and the state, accusations of historical determinism, and Marx's understanding of communism. Uniquely, Heinrich emphasizes the monetary character of Marx's work, in addition to the traditional emphasis on the labor theory of value, this highlighting the relevance of Capital to the age of financial explosions and implosions.
Author: Brink Lindsey Publisher: John Wiley & Sons ISBN: 0471442771 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 351
Book Description
A refreshing, insightful look into the political and economic dynamics driving globalization today Globalization: it's earlier than you think. That's the provocative message of Against the Dead Hand, which traces the rise and fall of the century-long dream of central planning and top-down control and its impact on globalization-revealing the extent to which the "dead hand" of the old collectivist dream still shapes the contours of today's world economy. Mixing historical narrative, thought-provoking arguments, and on-the-scene reporting and interviews, Brink Lindsey shows how the economy has grown up amidst the wreckage of the old regime-detailing how that wreckage constrains the present and obscures the future. He conveys a clearer picture of globalization's current state than the current conventional wisdom, providing a framework for anticipating the future direction of the world economy.
Author: Jonathan Tepper Publisher: John Wiley & Sons ISBN: 1119548195 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 320
Book Description
The Myth of Capitalism tells the story of how America has gone from an open, competitive marketplace to an economy where a few very powerful companies dominate key industries that affect our daily lives. Digital monopolies like Google, Facebook and Amazon act as gatekeepers to the digital world. Amazon is capturing almost all online shopping dollars. We have the illusion of choice, but for most critical decisions, we have only one or two companies, when it comes to high speed Internet, health insurance, medical care, mortgage title insurance, social networks, Internet searches, or even consumer goods like toothpaste. Every day, the average American transfers a little of their pay check to monopolists and oligopolists. The solution is vigorous anti-trust enforcement to return America to a period where competition created higher economic growth, more jobs, higher wages and a level playing field for all. The Myth of Capitalism is the story of industrial concentration, but it matters to everyone, because the stakes could not be higher. It tackles the big questions of: why is the US becoming a more unequal society, why is economic growth anemic despite trillions of dollars of federal debt and money printing, why the number of start-ups has declined, and why are workers losing out.
Author: Waheed Hussain Publisher: Oxford University Press ISBN: 0197662234 Category : Business & Economics Languages : en Pages : 257
Book Description
Living with the Invisible Hand explores the crucial role the market plays in how institutions shape our lives. Waheed Hussain demonstrates how markets, just like states, act as systems of governance. The market coordinates activities of production and consumption, constantly readjusting to changing circumstances. In doing so, it changes the option sets open to individuals, drawing them into patterns that can bypass their private judgments about the merits these patterns hold. Living with the Invisible Hand provides a starting point for a different way of thinking about economic life.
Author: Michael Perelman
Author: Peter Foster
Author: Nikos Karagiannis
Author: Warren J. Samuels
Author: Grace Blakeley
Author: Fouad Sabry
Author: Michael Heinrich
Author: Brink Lindsey
Author: Jonathan Tepper
Author: Waheed Hussain