I am proud of the Economic Sociology and Political Economy community blog and social media becoming a source of knowledge and learning, in various forms, for students at all levels. It is also gratifying to see the ES/PE websites links appear in syllabi. In this context, one of the common questions I receive from lecturers […]
money
Each time money is used, an epistemology, a metaphysics, a politics, an ethics, and even a theology is evoked. Money condenses the spirit of capitalism. Money did not create capitalism—the early factories and mills were rarely funded by bank loans—yet money transmits, propagates, and vivifies it. This thought-provoking quotation (p. 20) is from Theology of […]
The Past & Present Reading Group is discussing, in the first half of 2024, Karl Marx’s Grundrisse. This work is often considered a crucial read to grasp Marx’s methods of analysis, with Marx diving off Hegel as one might a springboard. Yet our group has immediately plunged into deep swirling waters of postcapitalist debates over money.
The post Value Par Excellence: Money versus Real Values appeared first on Progress in Political Economy (PPE).
I have this friend. A mountain of unexpected medical debt buried his family at the start of last year. At the same time, the closing of his business stuck him with six figures of personal debt. Liquidating a retirement account and maxing out credit cards bought him short-term breathing room. Mostly, though, it added interest […]
The post The Valley of Hidden Sorrows appeared first on Zeldman on Web and Interaction Design.
by Dror Goldberg* Where and when did modern currency originate? My book Easy Money: American Puritans and the Invention of Modern Currency (University of Chicago Press, 2023) tackles this fascinating question. I discover and explain the origin of modern currency in 1690 in the English colony of Massachusetts Bay — an unimportant place, compared to […]
by Jongchul Kim* In a given era, social scientists often share a common philosophical perspective, whether overtly or implicitly, despite studying different subjects. So what if the prevailing perspective among mainstream economists proves problematic, preventing them from providing a comprehensive understanding of the capitalist financial system?In modern Western philosophy, conventional economics is built upon two […]
by Brian Czech
When the name “Putin” is uttered—from now until the end of human utterance—the first thing that should come to mind is hundreds of thousands (and counting) of dead and wounded. Putin has turned a verdant, peace-seeking country into a hell-scape of suffering, including starvation. Let’s not overlook the Ukrainian casualties, now or ever.
Now, Putin is taking an even deeper stride into the annals of infamy by orchestrating one of the most despicable episodes of wanton waste in history: his attack on Ukrainian grain stocks and infrastructure.
The American Sociological Association solutes an eminent scholar and groundbreaking economic sociologist Viviana Zelizer with the W.E.B. Du Bois Career of Distinguished Scholarship Award, its highest honor, and the Distinguished Career Award for the Practice of Sociology, its second major honor. Presenting Professor Zelizer with the Association’s two most prestigious awards at the same year […]
by Daniel Wortel-London
Inequality threatens people and planet alike. Billions struggle to make ends meet while a tiny minority grows fabulously wealthy. At the same time, the conspicuous consumption of the wealthy and the waste they generate takes an enormous environmental toll. The intertwining of social and environmental damage suggests that standard fixes for inequality are inadequate.
Herman Daly thought that waste from the wealthy could not be ended through redistributive taxation alone.
The post Limits to Wealth = Limits to Growth appeared first on Center for the Advancement of the Steady State Economy.
