Political Capitalism Research Articles

Max Weber's Vision of Economic Sociology

Max Weber's economic sociology is usually associated with The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904–1905), but in this paper I show that what Weber himself called his “Wirtschaftssoziologie”, or economic sociology, looked quite different and was something that he developed during the last year of his life, 1919–1920. I present and outline Weber's (later) economic sociology and pay particular attention to his ideas of “economic (social) action” and of the three different forms of capitalism (rational capitalism, political capitalism and traditional capitalism). I also show that to Weber, economic sociology was part of a more general science of economics that he often referred to as “social economics” (“Sozialökonomik”). The paper ends with a comparison between the paradigm of economic sociology, which can be found in the work of Max Weber, and the paradigm of what is known as New Economic Sociology.

Max weber's vision of economic sociology

Max Weber's economic sociology is usually associated with The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism (1904–1905), but in this paper I show that what Weber himself called his “ Wirtschaftssoziologie”, or economic sociology, looked quite different and was something that he developed during the last year of his life, 1919–1920. I present and outline Weber's (later) economic sociology and pay particular attention to his ideas of “economic (social) action” and of the three different forms of capitalism (rational capitalism, political capitalism and traditional capitalism). I also show that to Weber, economic sociology was part of a more general science of economics that he often referred to as “social economics” (“ Sozialökonomik”). The paper ends with a comparison between the paradigm of economic sociology, which can be found in the work of Max Weber, and the paradigm of what is known as New Economic Sociology.

Knowledge, constraint, and power in inaction: The defenseless medieval wall

This paper offers some analytical approaches to the social history of medieval walls around towns, castles, villas, monasteries, and fields, using the themes of symbolism, knowledge, constraint, power, and conflict. Walls separate space into the inside and outside, each rife with symbolic meaning, defining areas of authority or symbolizing possession. Walls constrain movement, and through the physical obstacle created, walls remove ambiguity from passage; they impart knowledge of “illegal” entry or exit. Such knowledge is power, but more power is conferred by the ability to control movement, whether of political foes or of merchants wishing to trade. Because walls symbolize authority and power to control or rights of ownership, they frequently are the center of social tension and conflict. These topics are discussed with the recurring subtheme of the relationship of feudal and capitalist political and economic systems to walls around towns and around fields.

"Who Did Archaeology in the United States Before There Were Archaeologists and Why? Preprofessional Archaeologies of the Nineteenth Century." by Thomas C. Patterson. In Processual and Postprocessual Archaeologies, edited by Robert W. Preucel, Center for A

Patterson's paper is a condensation of two he had presented in 1988 and 1989, at conferences previous to the Carbondale Visiting Scholar Conference of 1989. He characterizes the early United States as harboring two contrasting political philosophies, agrarian versus mercantile capitalism. The agrarians, of whom Thomas Jefferson is of course the most illustrious example, followed the physiocrats in believing agricultural land to be the foundation of societies, therefore the manifest destiny of the new Republic was to conquer, and colonize more land. The mercantilists, primarily in Boston, emphasized civilization as the refinement of technologies, social order, and tastes. Both philosophies were cast in Enlightenment terms.

Class Political Organizing and Welfare Capitalism

Studies of business' role in the development of the welfare state, while noting the ability of capitalist class coalitions to affect state policy, focus narrowly on battles over specific policies. They tend to emphasize temporary alliances and to overlook capitalists' extensive organizational activities in regulating capital-labor relations even before the New Deal — particularly through the open shop and welfare capitalist movements. This paper examines these organizations, how they forged class coalitions, and how they articulated with the state. It shows that organizational capacity is an important variable in theorizing capital-state relations. Capital's organizational capacity is affected by historical conditions that impact the development of class segments, the organizational capacity of labor, and state structures and agendas.

Political economy and American capitalism

Political economy and American capitalism

Unruly Practices: Power, Discourse and Gender in Contemporary Social Theory

Acknowledgements. Introduction. Part I: Powers, Norms, and Vocabularies of Contestation:. 1. Foucault on Modern Power:. Empirical Insights and Normative Confusions. 2. Michael Foucault: A a Young Conservativea ?. 3. Foucaulta s Body Language: A Posthumanist Political Rhetoric?. Part II: On the Political and the Symbolic:. 4. The French Derrideans:. Politicizing Deconstruction or Deconstructing the Political?. 5. Solidarity or Singularity?:. Richard Rorty between Romanticism and Technocracy. Part III: Gender and the Politics of Need Interpretation:. 6. Whata s Critical about Critical Theory?. The Case of Habermas and Gender. 7. Women, Welfare, and the Politics of Need Interpretation. 8. Struggle over Needs: Outline of a Socialist--Feminist Critical. Theory of Late Capitalist Political Culture. Index.

“Political Capitalism” in Poland

“Political Capitalism” in Poland

City, State and Market: The Political Economy of Urban Society.

1. Welfare State Capitalism in 2. Neo-Marxist Political Economy: Class Power, The State and Fiscal 3. The Social Construction of Urban Crisis 4. Market Capitalist Political Economy: The Depoliticization of Policy Making 5. Reaganomics and Policy 6. Uneven Development: Why Politics Matter 7. Global Capital Restructuring and Community Mobilization

Historical political economy and liberal democratic capitalism

Historical political economy and liberal democratic capitalism

The political economy of workers' health and safety

The paucity of social science research on workers' health and safety (WHS) is noted and a framework based on class struggle within the capitalist political economic world-system is suggested. It is hypothesized that the historical and current strengths of workers' movements within nation states will largely determine the adequacy of provisions for WHS. This hypothesis was generally confirmed through field studies in Sweden, Finland, the German Democratic Republic, the Federal Republic of Germany, the U.K. and the U.S.A. However, one key aspect, the linkages between the general health services, especially at points of first entry (sometimes inappropriately referred to as primary health care, PHC) and WHS are highly problematic in all systems. Workers and their representatives, as well as concerned WHS and public health workers should develop greater awareness, concern and understanding of this PHC-WHS problem as well as other aspects of WHS.

Geography Lesson: Canadian Notes

Sekula's photo-essay examines social relations between Canada and the United States by documenting two sites in Ontario: the Inco mine and smelter (Sudbury) and the Bank of Canada (Ottawa). In an accompanying text, the artist suggests the 79 photographs (with captions) draw attention to the ideological values of the Canadian bourgeoisie by focusing on relations between geography and money. Essays by Gary Dufour and John O'Brian situate Sekula's critical investigation of Canadian national identity (represented in bank architecture and landscape imagery) within the contexts of Canadian economic and political history, multinational industrialization and capitalism. Includes epilogue in photo-essay form. Circa 210 bibl. ref.

Dependence, Underdevelopment and Unemployment in Kenya: School Leavers in a Peripheral Capitalist Political Economy

Dependence, Underdevelopment and Unemployment in Kenya: School Leavers in a Peripheral Capitalist Political Economy

Class conflict and the National Party split

The split in South Africa's ruling National Party (NP) delivered the coup de grace to the traditional image of white South African politics as a contest between Englishand Afrikaans-speakers, but the new conventional wisdoms are hardly more satisfactory. After the myth of the Afrikaner monolith was shown up by the events of February and March 1982, most observers switched from ethnic to ideological analysis, attributing them to the differences in outlook between verligte ('enlightened') and verkrampte ('narrow-minded') Afrikaners. Some on the left wrote off the split as inconsequential, due to the NP's unwavering support for white political control and capitalism. However, both these types of ideological exegesis ultimately offer only another way to describe the split, not an explanation of its origins or significance. While the split was precipitated by disagreements between verligtes and verkramptes over responses to the political and economic crises facing the South African state, its roots lay in a process of class realignment. They can be traced to the evolution of the National Party into a party dominated by the Afrikaner bourgeoisie, who need new strategies and new allies. The split freed the NP to restructure the training, use, and living conditions of black workers, as capital demands, while attempting to broaden the base of the regime. Nevertheless, liberals who viewed the split as a 'step in the right direction' are likely to be disappointed. While the class character of the NP now encourages a degree of economic liberalisation, it still seems to rule out political liberalisation. Although the Afrikaner bourgeoisie shares the interest of English-speaking capitalists in the efficient employment of black labour, it is still too dependent upon state power and patronage to accept genuine power-sharing or majority rule. To justify these claims, this article first examines the class character of the National Party split, and then the struggles which followed it. The conclusion explains why the party's new class base still imposes narrow limits to reform.

Political economy and capitalism: notes on Dobb's theory of crisis

Political economy and capitalism: notes on Dobb's theory of crisis

E.A. Wheelwright and ken buckley (eds), essays in the political economy oe capitalism.

E.A. Wheelwright and ken buckley (eds), essays in the political economy oe capitalism.

Stalinist ideology: The case of the Stalinist interpretation of monopoly capitalist politics

(1974). Stalinist ideology: The case of the Stalinist interpretation of monopoly capitalist politics. Soviet Studies: Vol. 26, No. 2, pp. 239-259.

The Roots of American Economic Growth, 1607-1861: An Essay in Social Causation

1. The Matter of method 2. The Dependent years: I i. The question of colonial economic growth ii. Colonial economic expansion iii. Land iv. Production for subsistence and for market v. The Planters: sources of operating capital vi. The planters: the question of capital losses 3. The dependent years: II i. The Protestant ethic ii.The merchants iii. 'Political capitalism' iv. Social Structure v. The role of government 4. Economic Growth, 1790-1861 i. Central versus local control ii. The Constitution and the national market iii. The national debt iv. The development program of Robert Morris v. Other early interest in internal improvements vi. Hamilton's program vii. The legislation of the 1790s viii. Federal legislation adn community will ix. Later federal aids to development 6. The Shift from Federal Aid i. State aid to development ii. The quasi-public corporation iii. Foreign investment in the United States iv. Corporate expansion 7. The Private Sector i. Private sourecs of capital funds ii. The formation of the national market iii. the origins of technological trade in industry and agriculture 8. The Social and Cultural Dimension i. Education ii. Values and social structure 9. Epilogue

A Vista of Catastrophe: the Future of United States-Chilean Relations

Current United States publications accord fulsome praise to the policies recently adopted by Chile. Under President Jorge Alessandri Rodríguez the “string-bean republic” not only enjoys an administration of honesty and integrity, but is judged by many to be on the road to solving its major problems through the application of two of our most cherished principles: political democracy and free-enterprise capitalism. That Chile has chosen the patterns of the United States and is seeking economic reform within the framework of classically liberal democracy is taken as an indication that United States - Chilean relations are now characterized by firm and fundamental rapport. There is hope also that as Chilean formulas come to prevail in other Latin American republics, a new era of inter-American friendship and understanding will emerge.

Moral Indignation and Middle Class Psychology. A Sociological Study. By Svend Ranulf. Copenhagen: Levin & Munksgaard. Ejnar Munksgaard, The Anatomy of Revolution. By Crane Brinton, Modern Sociologists. Karl Marx. By Karl Korsch and Political Economy and Capitalism. By Maurice Dobb

Moral Indignation and Middle Class Psychology. A Sociological Study. By Svend Ranulf. Copenhagen: Levin & Munksgaard. Ejnar Munksgaard, The Anatomy of Revolution. By Crane Brinton, Modern Sociologists. Karl Marx. By Karl Korsch and Political Economy and Capitalism. By Maurice Dobb