Left-of-centre democratic ideologies and movements Books
Cambridge University Press An Introduction to Karl Marx
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£19.99
Cambridge University Press Analytical Foundations Marxian Thry
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£37.04
Cambridge University Press Bernstein
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£63.64
Cambridge University Press Bernstein
Book SynopsisA 1993 translation of Bernstein's famous and influential work. It will provide students with an accurate and unabridged edition of the classic defence of democratic socialism and the first significant critique of revolutionary Marxism from within the socialist movement.Trade Review"Its timely appearance gives students of political theory another reason to be thankful for this marvellous series of Cambridge Texts." Mark Garnett, Times Literary SupplementTable of ContentsEditor's notes; Introduction; Principal events in Bernstein's life; Bibliographical note; Foreword; 1. The basic tenets of Marxist socialism; 2. Marxism and the Hegelian dialectic; 3. The economic development of modern society; 4. The tasks and the opportunities of social democracy; Conclusion; The final goal and the movement.
£29.99
Cambridge University Press Gramsci
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£71.24
Cambridge University Press Marxism at Work
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£114.00
Cambridge University Press The Transformation of European Social Democracy
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£77.44
Cambridge University Press Kropotkin
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£62.69
Cambridge University Press Transformation European Democracy Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£29.99
Cambridge University Press The Victorian Christian Socialists
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£36.09
Cambridge University Press Marxism and the Failure of Organised Socialism in Spain 1879 1936
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£29.44
Cambridge University Press Democratic Ideas and the British Labour Movement 18801914
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£81.00
Cambridge University Press Subversive Institutions
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£71.65
Cambridge University Press Subversive Institutions
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£23.99
Cambridge University Press Ecology and Historical Materialism
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£85.50
Cambridge University Press Ecology and Historical Materialism
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£31.90
Cambridge University Press Radicals in America
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£21.84
Cambridge University Press The Currency of Socialism
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£36.87
Cambridge University Press The Socialism of Fools
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£85.50
Cambridge University Press The Socialist Response to Antisemitism in Imperial Germany
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£55.10
Cambridge University Press Citizens and Saints
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£36.87
Cambridge University Press Socialist Europe and Revolutionary Russia
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£49.39
Cambridge University Press Marxism at Work
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£39.89
Cambridge University Press Building Socialism
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£80.75
Cambridge University Press Practical Social Democracy
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£90.25
Cambridge University Press The End of Socialism
Book SynopsisThe End of Socialism explores the exact nature of the practical difficulties socialism faces and then examines the extent to which its moral ideals can, or should, guide policy nonetheless.Trade Review'Distinguishing between what socialism has meant 'in principle' and what it has meant 'in practice', James Otteson deftly dissects the key claims that underlie the resurgent reliance on the state in society. In doing so, he harks back to a pre-Marxist conception of 'socialism', finessing a narrow focus on state-owned enterprise. This debate - the real debate - over socialism is as old as Plato, and as new as tomorrow's newspaper. A serious treatment of a serious subject.' Michael Munger, Duke University'James Otteson is a very rare beast: he combines profound understanding with crystal-clear writing. This book is a devastating elucidation of the practical and theoretical difficulties that have caused the repeated failure of all systems of centralized planning, and socialism in particular.' Matt Ridley, author of The Rational Optimist'James Otteson has written a comprehensive challenge to the socialist ideal that will be of interest to anyone concerned with the moral claims and implications of what are essentially the two competing economic systems of the world: socialism and capitalism … The book is written for nonspecialists, but it nonetheless makes a powerful intellectual case that the moral values of socialism, which seem worthy in the abstract, lose their appeal when they are translated into public policy.' Bradley C. S. Watson, Journals of Market and MoralityTable of Contents1. What socialism and capitalism are; Part I. Socialism's Problems in Practice: 2. Knowledge and planning; 3. Knowledge: value, equality, and experts; 4. Knowledge and community; 5. The day-two problem; Part II. Socialism's Problems in Principle: 6. Economics and morality; 7. Respect and individuality; 8. Socialism's great mistake; 9. Prosperity; 10. Equality and freedom; 11. Fairness; Conclusion. Grapes sweet and sour.
£71.65
Cambridge University Press Socialist Planning
Book SynopsisSocialist planning played an enormous role in the economic and political history of the twentieth century. Beginning in the USSR it spread round the world. It influenced economic institutions and economic policy in countries as varied as Bulgaria, USA, China, Japan, India, Poland and France. How did it work? What were its weaknesses and strengths? What is its legacy for the twenty-first century? Now in its third edition, this textbook is fully updated to cover the findings of the period since the collapse of the USSR. It provides an overview of socialist planning, explains the underlying theory and its limitations, looks at its implementation in various sectors of the economy, and places developments in their historical context. A new chapter analyses how planning worked in the defence-industrial complex. This book is an ideal text for undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in comparative economic systems and twentieth-century economic history.Trade Review'Michael Ellman's book is a true classic, erudite, exhaustive and meticulously researched. Written by one of the leading authorities in the field, it remains the ultimate source on the theory and experience of socialist economic planning. Both students and fellow scholars will be pleased to see it brought up to date, incorporating what has been learned since the collapse of the USSR.' Stefan Hedlund, Research Director at the Centre for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Uppsala University, Sweden'In the Great Depression of the 1930s many people concluded that socialist planning must be a better way to run the economy. But how did it really work - and how well did it work? No one has wider or deeper knowledge of its history than Michael Ellman. This revised edition of his classic Socialist Planning draws new archival revelations from Russia and Eastern Europe and recent lessons from China.' Mark Harrison, University of Warwick'If there was one professor from whom I learned a lot in my undergraduate, then it was Michael Ellman. He had deep knowledge about how the Soviet system actually worked. He taught me about its successes in eliminating illiteracy and reducing poverty, but above all about its failures. In some sense, learning about the problems of planned economy is the best way to understand the accomplishment of a market economy. This book takes stock of a lifelong scholarship analyzing the rise and collapse of the Soviet planning system. It is a must for anyone who is seriously interested in comparative economic systems in the twentieth century.' Coen Teulings, Montagu Burton Professor of Industrial Relations and Labour Economics, University of Cambridge'Clear, concise, and remarkably comprehensive, the book is written in a style that makes the complexity of the information accessible to inexperienced readers.' S. J. Linz, ChoiceTable of ContentsPreface to third edition; Abbreviations and glossary; Important dates; 1. The rise and fall of socialist planning; 2. The traditional model; 3. The reform process; 4. Planning the defence-industrial complex; 5. Investment planning; 6. Planning agriculture; 7. Planning labour and incomes; 8. Planning consumption; 9. Planning international trade; 10. An evaluation of socialist planning; Bibliography; Index.
£25.64
Cambridge University Press Antisemitism and the American Far Left
Book SynopsisStephen H. Norwood has written the first systematic study of the American far left's role in both propagating and combating antisemitism. This book covers Communists from 1920 onward, Trotskyists, the New Left and its black nationalist allies, and the contemporary remnants of the New Left. Professor Norwood analyzes the deficiencies of the American far left's explanations of Nazism and the Holocaust. He explores far left approaches to militant Islam, from condemnation of its fierce antisemitism in the 1930s to recent apologies for jihad. Norwood discusses the far left's use of long-standing theological and economic antisemitic stereotypes that the far right also embraced. The study analyzes the far left's antipathy to Jewish culture, as well as its occasional efforts to promote it. He considers how early Marxist and Bolshevik paradigms continued to shape American far left views of Jewish identity, Zionism, Israel, and antisemitism.Trade Review'If you've ever wondered why 'do-gooder' is a pejorative label, Stephen H. Norwood's new book, Antisemitism and the American Far Left will enlighten you.' Chicago Jewish Star'… [a] bracing new book …' Ronald Radosh, Commentary'Norwood's documentation provides a detailed and useful tool for understanding a[n] under-illuminated aspect of … US anti-Semitism …' Sina Arnold, translated from H-Soz-u-KultTable of Contents1. Promoting a socialism of fools: the new left's debt to the old left; 2. American communists' tangled responses to antisemitism and nazism, 1920–39; 3. World War II: the limits of American far left concern for European Jewry; 4. Assimilation abandoned: communist resistance to antisemitism and celebration of Jewish culture in the immediate postwar period; 5. 'Two, four, six, eight, we demand a Jewish state': American communist support for partition and the Jewish war of liberation, 1947–8; 6. 'Fiends in human form': taking conspiratorial antisemitism to a new level; 7. The Jewish question discarded: far left hostility to Jews and Israel, 1956–73; 8. Shaping the next generations: the persistence of far left antisemitism, 1973–2012.
£29.44
Cambridge University Press Inventing a Socialist Nation
Book SynopsisThis book shows how 'national' identity was invented in the German Democratic Republic and how citizens engaged with it, exposing the reasons why individuals found it hard to identify with the GDR and explaining how an apparently stable society fell apart with such ease when the revolution came.Trade ReviewReview of the hardback: 'East Germany's selective use of homeland culture in its reconstruction is illuminating.' Gareth Dale, The Times Higher Education SupplementReview of the hardback: 'This remarkable study deepens our understanding of how power functioned in the SED state and proves the explanatory value not just of its formal mechanisms of power, but also its cultural history. Not least owing to its comprehensive temporal range - from 1945 to 1990 - this study will provide a fruitful foundation for further work. The book is, moreover, written in the most lively prose.' Frankfurter Allgemeine ZeitungReview of the hardback: 'Palmowski has brilliantly captured the complexities of the GDR, including the juxtaposition of the combination of dictatorship and control of language against social development and subversion of language. He has written a remarkable book indeed.' Peter C. Caldwell, H-Net ReviewsTable of Contents1. Introduction; Part I. Socialism, Heimat, and the Construction of Identity: 2. Cultural renewal and national division, 1945–c.1958; 3. Trace of stones; Part II. Public and Private Transcripts: 4. Heimat and identity in the Honecker era; 5. Citizenship and participation in the local community - 'Join In!'; 6. Environmental destruction; Part III. Power, Practices and Meanings: 7. Social drama and the euphemization of power; 8. Cultural practices, Eigen-Sinn, and obfuscated meanings; Conclusion: from citizens to revolutionaries.
£36.87
OUP India Titos Secret Empire How the Maharaja of the
Book Synopsis
£34.95
Random House USA Inc The Rebel and the Kingdom
Book SynopsisHow did an Ivy League activist become a global fugitive? The New York Times bestselling co-author of Billion Dollar Whale and Blood and Oil chronicles the heart-pounding tale of a self-taught operative his high-stakes attempt subvert the North Korean regime. “Propulsive . . . Hope’s account is both deeply reported and novelistic.”—Ed Caesar, contributing staff writer for The New Yorker, author of The Moth and the MountainIn the early 2000s, Adrian Hong was a soft-spoken Yale undergraduate looking for his place in the world. After reading a harrowing account of life inside North Korea, he realized he had found a cause so pressing that he was ready to devote his life to it. What began as a trip down the safe and well-worn path of organizing soon morphed into something more dangerous. Hong journeyed to China, outwitting Chinese security services as he helped asylum-s
£23.20
John Wiley and Sons Ltd The Politics of the New Centre
Book SynopsisEurope is entering a new political epoch. The centre--left, now in government in many EU countries, has struggled to modernize itself and is now defining the shape of politics for the future.Trade Review"Bodo Hombach had a major role in the reconstruction of leftist politics in Germany that led to the electoral victory of the Social Democractic Party in 1998. The history of German social democracy over the past two decades or so quite closely resembles that of the Labour Party in Britain and it isn't surprising that in The Politics of the New Centre the author makes considerable play with the changes initiated by New Labour in the UK. The ideas presented in this book give form and substance to the evolutuion of the debate about third way politics in the English-speaking world. This translation of Hombach's book is a welcome event. His work should provoke as much interest, and controversy, as it did on its initial appearance in Germany." Anthony Giddens, London School of Economics and Poltical Science.Table of ContentsPreface: Anthony Giddens. Introduction: Mark Leonard. Foreword to the Original German edition. 1. Breaking the Mould. 2. The Maxims of a Proactive State. 3. The Future of the Parties. 4. The Beginnings of a New Corporatism. 5. What Can We Learn From Others?. 6. New Paths to Growth and Full Employment. 7. Policies for a Proactive Society. Postscript: Gerhard Schröder. Appendix: The Third Way, Die Neue Mitte: Tony Blair and Gerhard Schröder. Index.
£57.00
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group Rise of Abraham Cahan Jewish Encounters
Book SynopsisPart of the Jewish Encounters seriesThe first general-interest biography of the legendary editor of the Jewish Daily Forward, the newspaper of Yiddish-speaking immigrants that inspired, educated, and entertained millions of readers; helped redefine journalism during its golden age; and transformed American culture. Already a noted journalist writing for both English-language and Yiddish newspapers, Abraham Cahan founded the Yiddish daily in New York City in 1897. Over the next fifty years he turned it into a national newspaper that changed American politics and earned him the adulation of millions of Jewish immigrants and the friendship of the greatest newspapermen of his day, from Lincoln Steffens to H. L. Mencken. Cahan did more than cover the news. He led revolutionary reforms—spreading social democracy, organizing labor unions, battling communism, and assimilating immigrant Jews into American society, most notably via his groundbreaking a
£20.25
Hoover Institution Press,U.S. North Korea after KimIl Sung Continuity or Change
Book SynopsisInternational scholars debate the state of change or continuity in North Korea's post-Kim II Sung regime - shedding light on one of the world's most closed societies, its potential to adapt to post-cold war realities, and the prospects for a peaceful and stable Korean peninsula.
£17.95
Hassell Street Press Famous Utopias of the Renaissance
Book Synopsis
£23.13
Cengage Learning, Inc Cj
Book Synopsis
£95.00
PublicAffairs Russia Upside Down: An Exit Strategy for the
Book Synopsis
£24.00
Monthly Review Press Working Classes, Global Realities: Socialist
Book Synopsis
£71.25
Monthly Review Press,U.S. Socialism or Barbarism: From the American
Book Synopsis
£72.20
Monthly Review Press,U.S. Build it Now: Socialism for the Twenty-first
Book Synopsis"Build It Now" puts forward a clear and innovative vision of a socialist future, and at the same time shows how concrete steps can be taken to make that vision a reality. It shows how the understanding of capitalism can itself become a political act - a defense of the real needs of human beings against the ongoing advance of capitalist profit. Throughout the book, Lebowitz addresses the concerns of people engaged in struggle to create a better world, but aware that this struggle must be informed by the realities of the twenty-first century. Many chapters of the book began life as addresses to worker organizations in Venezuela, where worker self-management is on the agenda. Written by an eminent academic, this is far more than an academic treatise. The book brings an internationalist outlook and vast knowledge of global trends to bear on concrete efforts to transform contemporary society. "Build It Now" is a testament to the ongoing vitality of the Marxist tradition, drawing on its deep resources of analytical insight and moral passion and fusing them into an essential guide to the struggles of our time.
£72.30
Monthly Review Press,U.S. The Socialist Alternative
Book Synopsis
£16.95
Bloomsbury Publishing USA China After Mao: The Rise of a Superpower
Book Synopsis
£16.99
Verso Books Greece and the Reinvention of Politics
Book SynopsisIn a series of seven trenchant interventions Alain Badou analyses the decisive developments in Greece since 2011. Badiou considers this Mediterranean country "a sort of open-air political lesson", with much to tell us about the wider situation. Greece is exemplary of "our fundamental contradictions in Europe, which are also ultimately the fundamental contradictions of the world such as it is-the world served up to the authoritarian anarchy of capitalism."Notwithstanding the Greeks' heartening opposition to the financial markets' hegemony, Badiou considers it also important to address the reasons why this opposition failed. "Movementist" politics may arouse widespread sympathy, but for the French philosopher they have "absolutely no effect other than to temporarily trap the movement in the negative weakness of its affects." Badiou argues that a consequential opposition inspired by the emancipatory politics of the past-or by what he calls "the communist hypothesis"-should set its compass by the "orienting maxims" proposed in this book, defining a direction for political action.Trade ReviewIn the past few years, Alain Badiou's oeuvre has imposed itself as the most significant philosophical import from the Continent. -- Alberto Toscano, author of Fanaticism: On the Uses of an Idea * The British Journal of Sociology *Whatever his pessimistic assessments of the contemporary situation (St Paul in the place of Lenin?), Badiou's emphasis on activity and production, his insistence on fidelity as the resurrected of the dormant Events of a seemingly extinct political praxis, can only be energizing for us. -- Fredric Jameson * New Left Review *One of the most important philosophers writing today. -- Joan CopjecA figure like Plato or Hegel walks here among us! -- Slavoj ZizekAn heir to Jean-Paul Sartre and Louis Althusser. * New Statesman *Badiou's sardonically compressed style is never less than pungent. * Guardian *Shaking the foundations of Western liberal democracy. * Times Higher Education Supplement *A thinker of tremendously invigorating moral fervour, able to rise to Swiftian scorn or fine Cocteau-like flourishes. Badiou's passionate belief in human autonomy is inspiring. * Daily Telegraph *Scarcely any other moral thinker of our day is as politically clear-sighted and courageously polemical, so prepared to put notions of truth and universality back on the agenda. -- Terry EagletonFrench philosophy still has a kick in it, and it can still turn heads. You have been warned. -- Jonathan Rée * Prospect *Magnificently stirring. A characteristically lucid polemic from a philosopher who is far from willing to abandon humanity to the vicissitudes of so-called global capitalism. -- Mark Fisher * Frieze *Badiou has been an intellectual hero of France's anti-capitalist left since the Paris street protests of 1968. * BBC HARDtalk *Greece has long been a country with 'too much history,' a harbinger of broader developments in Europe. In the course of its recent crisis it provided the testing ground for several political approaches. Failure was general, but none was greater than the abject capitulation of Syriza. Alain Badiou surveys the wreckage calmly and with sadness, seeking the reinvention of a radical and class-based politics. This is indeed what Europe needs today, and the only positive outcome from the Syriza debacle. -- Costas Lapavitsas, SOAS, University of London
£12.99
Verso Books Crashing the Party: From the Bernie Sanders
Book SynopsisSenator Bernie Sanders won 13 million votes and a majority of young voters in the 2016 Democratic primary, giving a consensus unbeatable party favorite, Hillary Clinton, a shockingly close challenge. He emerged from the presidential election as the most popular politician in the US, despite being a 75-year-old self-professed "democratic socialist." What lessons can be drawn from this surprising but-in the end-losing campaign, and what to make of the direction the Sanders movement has gone since the election?Vermont native Heather Gautney is a senior policy advisor to Bernie Sanders in his Washington, DC office and was a senior researcher on his presidential campaign. The author and editor of several books on social movements and American politics, she brings her scholarly expertise and left politics to bear on the scenes and conflicts she witnessed from inside the campaign and inside the Beltway. This is both an insider's sympathetic view of the Sanders phenomenon and a skeptical left scholar's view of its limitations. In reviewing what enabled Sanders to reach out to an unprecedented number of people with a socialist message, she draws lessons about the prospects and perils of building a leftist movement in the United States. Gautney's reflections on the role that race and class played in this election cycle and analysis of the prospects and perils of the Democratic Party will advance the passionate debate over how to build a progressive opposition to Trump and a lasting left movement in America.Trade ReviewA vigorous book that revisits the 2016 election...every argument is worth engaging with. -- Tom Carson * Bookforum *An outstanding piece of work that provides a deep-- and importantly the correct-- analysis of what Bernie's campaign was really about. -- Phil Fiermonte, Senior Advisor, Bernie 2016 and former Vermont State Director, Sen. Bernie Sanders Senate OfficeHeather Gautney's analysis of the 2016 campaign captures Bernie Sanders' refreshing plainspokenness.it deserves attention on the Left. * Wall Street Journal *An encouraging and informative insight into the Sanders campaign and what follows. * Morning Star *
£12.94
Verso Books Against Creativity
Book SynopsisFrom line managers, corporate CEOs, urban designers, teachers, politicians, mayors, advertisers and even our friends and family, the message is 'be creative'. Creativity is heralded as the driving force of our contemporary society; celebrated as agile, progressive and liberating. It is the spring of the knowledge economy and shapes the cities we inhabit. It even defines our politics. What could possibly be wrong with this?In this brilliant, counter intuitive blast Oli Mould demands that we rethink the story we are being sold. Behind the novelty, he shows that creativity is a barely hidden form of neoliberal appropriation. It is a regime that prioritizes individual success over collective flourishing. It refuses to recognise anything - job, place, person - that is not profitable. And it impacts on everything around us: the places where we work, the way we are managed, how we spend our leisure time. Is there an alternative? Mould offers a radical redefinition of creativity, one embedded in the idea of collective flourishing, outside the tyranny of profit. Bold, passionate and refreshing, Against Creativity, is a timely correction to the doctrine of our times.Trade ReviewSuperb, thought-provoking. Mould turns the notion of the 'creative worker' on its head. * Pop Matters *A blistering critique . a pointed polemic that makes frequent and telling connections between creativity and social inequalities. -- David Beer * OpenDemocracy *This book mixes personal experience and sharp sociological analysis in a highly entertaining takedown of one of today's most important ideological tropes: creativity. Oli Mould takes the reader on a rather intimate tour behind the flashy scene of creative work, creative people, creative politics, creative technology and, of course, the creative city. Fortunately, he doesn't leave us in the real dystopia we discover along the way but shows us that a truly creative world is possible. -- Sebastian Olma, author of In Defence of SerendipityFor the past 20 years, creativity has been ubiquitous, an essential part of designs for office interiors, inner-city makeovers, and boosterish attempts by governments to redescribe precarious parts of their economies. It needs to be taken seriously - but it also, arguably, needs to be taken down. In this provocative, and often funny book, Oli Mould points up the absurdities of the creative economy, and some ways we might think beyond creativity. -- Richard J. Williams, Professor of Contemporary Visual Cultures, University of EdinburghThere are few personal and collective traits that are prized more highly in neoliberal societies than 'creativity'. In this powerful and well-aimed critique, Oli Mould lifts the veil on this ideology, to reveal a set of economic and political forces, pushing all of us to bend to the needs of capital. -- Will Davies, author of Nervous States[A] bold plea for truly creative urban thought and action . Creative, that is, in a wide range of subversive but always social ways, and not only outside but against the softly suffocating hegemony of authorized versions of the Creative-Cities script, in all its banal ubiquity. Not before time, this is the creative city turned upside down. * Jamie Peck, Canada Research Chair in Urban & Regional Political Economy and Professor of Geography, University of British Columbia [Praise for Urban Subversion and the Creative City] *Thorough, engaging and critical in spirit, and is packed full of theoretical insights and colourful examples of what the author calls 'urban subversion'. Mould is keenly immersed in his subject matter, and his enthusiasm for it is both obvious and infectious. This is a book which every human geography and urban sociology student should read, and would enjoy at the same time * Robert Hollands, Newcastle University, UK [Praise for Urban Subversion and the Creative City] *In this fascinating, meticulously researched, truly global book, Oli Mould introduces us to the creative city of subversion and desire. A much needed act of liberation from the official terrain occupied by the creative class. * Professor Roger Keil, Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University [Praise for Urban Subversion and the Creative City] *
£14.99
Verso Books Rentier Capitalism: Who Owns the Economy, and Who
Book SynopsisIn this landmark book, the author of The New Enclosure provides a forensic examination and sweeping critique of early-twenty-first-century capitalism. Brett Christophers styles this as 'rentier capitalism', in which ownership of key types of scarce assets - such as land, intellectual property, natural resources, or digital platforms - is all-important and dominated by a few unfathomably wealthy companies and individuals: rentiers. If a small elite owns today's economy, everybody else foots the bill. Nowhere is this divergence starker, Christophers shows, than in the United Kingdom, where the prototypical ills of rentier capitalism - vast inequalities combined with entrenched economic stagnation - are on full display and have led the country inexorably to the precipice of Brexit. With profound lessons for other countries subject to rentier dominance, Christophers' examination of the UK case is indispensable to those wanting not just to understand this insidious economic phenomenon but to overcome it. Frequently invoked but never previously analysed and illuminated in all its depth and variety, rentier capitalism is here laid bare for the first time.Trade ReviewIn praise of The New Enclosure:With his carefully crafted and meticulously researched study, he has made an essential contribution to our understanding of politics and government in modern Britain. -- Adam Tooze * Financial Times *In praise of The New Enclosure:The biggest privatisation of all isn't housing, railways, or utilities, but the oldest source of oligarchic power-land. In this clear, readable, accessible and maddening book, Brett Christophers makes clear the massive mismanagement, waste, opacity and centralisation of wealth that has resulted. Necessary reading for anyone who wants to know where ruling class power comes from, and how to take it back. -- Owen HatherleyIn praise of The New Enclosure:If you're someone who's interested in Britain-and I mean Britain tout court: the whole 80,823 square miles of its physical existence-then this is a book you must read. -- Will Self * Guardian *In praise of The New Enclosure:Brett Christophers's The New Enclosure towers with empirical and argumentative force. Christophers dissects the process by which 1.6 million hectares, or 8 percent of Britain, ended up in private hands since the election of Margaret Thatcher. This is a stunning work of scholarship. It speaks to the history of capitalism and social inequality, cast as the undemocratic ownership of nature. -- Steven Stoll * Orion Magazine *In praise of The New Enclosure:British taxpayers have been robbed blind by the recent fire sale of 400 billion pounds of public land. Like Henry VIII's destruction of the monasteries, Thatcher's privatisation frenzy has led to the destruction of public assets unprecedented amongst leading economies, and to the enrichment of landowners and financiers. In this comprehensive and rigorously researched book, Brett Christophers opens up a field of study-public land-largely buried by academia, landowners and no doubt, by financiers. A must-read. -- Ann PettiforA seminal study * Guardian *Our economic present is supposed to be characterised by free markets, unleashed creative entrepreneurship, the control of knowledge, and globalisation of production. Yet as Brett Christophers shows in this incisive and vital study, the supposedly long-dead rentier is the characteristic capitalist of our age, not the entrepreneur of neoliberal theory. Thinking beyond the clichés, and the standard statistical summaries of the economy, he shows that instead of entrepreneurs there are exploiters of ownership and control who underinvest in the future. The new rentiers are everywhere, passively piling up the returns accruing from investments, from land, from housing, monopolistic utilities, consumer credit, and the control of platforms, natural resources and long-term contracts. -- David Edgerton, author of Rise and Fall of the British NationEmpirically rigorous and theoretically insightful, Rentier Capitalism is a fascinating contribution to the debate on the changing face of British capitalism. Christophers makes a clear and compelling case that the profits of some of the largest British corporations stem not from production itself, but from their ability to exploit their control over critical resources to extract economic rents.' -- Grace Blakeley, author of StolenEmpirically rich and theoretically astute, Rentier Capitalism offers a definitive account of a central feature of neoliberal capitalism: the resurgent power of unproductive assets. Spanning finance, housing, fossil fuels and the public sector out-sourcing racket, this will be a vital resource for anyone seeking to make sense of economic inequality and injustice in the UK and beyond. -- Will DaviesOur economic present is supposed to be characterised by free markets, unleashed creative entrepreneurship, the free production and flow of knowledge, and the frictionless mobility of capital and production. Yet as Brett Christophers shows in this incisive and vital study, the supposedly long-dead rentier is the characteristic capitalist of our age, not the entrepreneur of neoliberal theory. Thinking beyond the clichés, and the standard statistical summaries of the economy, he shows that instead of entrepreneurs there are exploiters of ownership and control who underinvest in the future. The new rentiers are everywhere, passively piling up the returns accruing from investments, from land, from housing, monopolistic utilities, consumer credit, and the control of platforms, natural resources and long-term contracts. -- David EdgertonIn this eye-opening, wide-ranging, and pedagogical book, Brett Christophers reveals the outsized role that rents play in today's economy-from natural resources to intellectual property, from land to finance, from infrastructure to digital platforms. This is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding modern-day capitalism. -- Gabriel Zucman coauthor of The Triumph of InjusticeBrett Christophers' comprehensive study of the dominance of rent will change how we think about inequality. Contemporary capitalism relies more on controlling something valuable than it does on making something valuable. Rentier Capitalism is a brilliant and indispensable book. -- Jodi DeanIf you want to understand the complexities of modern capitalism, there is no better place to start than Brett Christophers' ambitious new exploration of rentierism. Unique in examining this phenomenon across its multiple facets, Christophers' insightful analysis reveals the inner workings of rentier capitalism with grit and detail. This is essential reading for all serious students of political economy. -- Greta R. Krippner, University of MichiganAt last! For some years the great and the good have been muttering about the rentierisation of the economy, without really defining what they mean. What is rentier capitalism and what do we do about it? How did capitalism go from being all about "doing" to all about "having"?These are some of the most important questions we should be pondering in the coming years. And now, finally, we have a book that defines this crucial trend and provides a forensic analysis of it. An insightful, fascinating read. -- Ed Conway, Sky News Economics Editor, a Times columnist, and author of The SummitTo understand the inequalities of wealth and power that define contemporary capitalism, read this important book. Rentierism shapes every sphere of our shared lives, Christophers shows, from energy to real estate, aerospace to health care, and entertainment to Airbnb. Tracing the different way each sector is organized to compel payments to those who monopolize its key assets, the book explains how rent takes multiple forms. It is this variability that allows capitalism's extraordinary profits--and inequalities--to be generated at every juncture. -- Timothy MitchellWe are plagued by wealth and income inequality, declining productivity, falling investment, and polarized populations. But how are they related? Christophers answers that question, in my view definitively, by showing us how the economy we inhabit is a province of rents protected by power, in everything from finance and patents to carbon extraction and land ownership. Few books come along that fundamentally challenge the way you see the world. This is one of them. Christophers rewired my understanding of capitalism on a fundamental level. Piketty told us that the Trente Glorieuses were a stochastic blip, not a fundamental change. He saw that in the data. Christophers builds upon this insight a theory as to why that is that is both compelling and powerful - that the equilibrium state of capitalism is one of rent accumulation - and that such an equilibrium is a question of class power exercised through the state. -- Mark BlythAn essential read for anyone thinking about what UK governments might need to do differently as the pandemic upends the economy, and people's jobs, without doubt feeding an appetite for some significant change in the philosophy of public policy. -- Diane Coyle * The Enlightened Economist *An important and urgent contribution to our understanding of modern capitalism. -- Christine Berry * openDemocracy *A striking reminder of the way-in the UK economy, in this case-concentration of ownership has continued to increase in recent decades. -- Diane Coyle * Five Books, Best Economics Books of 2020 *Arguably one of this year's most important books. -- Will Hutton * Guardian *Rentier Capitalism is an autopsy report for a decomposing corpse. Christophers clinically dissects a corrupted body, before arriving at a probable cause of death. Of course, capitalism is still with us, but for those wanting to understand the system more, the better and sooner to end it, this book is essential reading. -- Glyn Robbins * Socialist Review *It's all crackling, shimmering stuff ... you'll start seeing rentiers everywhere, hearing them in every news bulletin, or envisioning how they all interlock like a lattice of money-pipes, situated at almost every choke point in supply, and all involved in massive anti-competitive behaviour. -- Mic Moroney * Irish Times *From North Sea oil to the railways to water and electricity, this is a damning book about what successful British firms actually do - bid for privatised contracts, charge large rental fees, and sit back and let the profits come in from poor-quality, monopolised services. -- Owen Hatherley * Tribune *Rentier Capitalism presents convincing evidence of the extent to which rent-seeking has become a central aspect of the British economy. -- Richard Goulding * Greater Manchester Housing Action *Masterful ... a rigorously researched and theoretically insightful account of how large areas of capitalism have changed from "doing" to having. -- Sean Byrne * Dublin Review of Books *
£23.75
Verso Books Half-Earth Socialism: A Plan to Save the Future
Book SynopsisOver the next generation, humanity will confront a dystopian future of climate disaster and mass extinction. Yet the only "solutions" on offer are toothless cap-and-trade programs, catastrophic geoengineering schemes, and privatized conservation, which will do nothing to reverse the damage suffered by the biosphere. Indeed, these mainstream approaches assume that consumption in the Global North can continue unabated. It can't.What we can do, environmental scholars Troy Vettese and Drew Pendergrass argue, is strive for a society able to provide a comfortable standard of living while stabilizing the environment: half-earth socialism. This means:- Rewilding half the Earth to absorb carbon emissions and restore biodiversity.- A rapid transition to renewable energy, paired with drastic cuts in consumption by the world's wealthiest.- Global veganism to cut down on energy and land use.- Worldwide socialist planning to efficiently and equitably manage production.- The involvement of everyone - even you!As this thrilling and provocative book makes clear, we must humbly accept that we cannot fully understand or control the Earth - but we can control our economic system, and we can regulate energy and land use for the common good.Trade ReviewHalf-Earth Socialism conclusively demonstrates how a liveable future requires a fundamentally different relationship to the Earth, the only home our species has ever known. A must read for post-capitalists and those who care about the climate crisis. -- Aaron Bastani, author of Fully Automated Luxury CommunismThe best way to subvert a dystopia is to plan a utopia. In Half-Earth Socialism, Vettese and Pendergrass delve into this vital work of practical dreaming. So what does a better world look like? Blending science, history, philosophy and fiction, the authors thoughtfully chart a possible future to avert the worst impacts of the climate crises. Importantly, beyond climate mitigation and adaptation, this book tackles the critical need to address large-scale system change. Read this book if you not only dream of saving the world, but want a plan for how to do it. -- Ziya Tong, science broadcaster and author of The Reality BubbleFinally, the book we have been waiting for. A real plan, simple and elegant. Half the planet is re-wilded. Within the vision of this book, is admirable forensic research, the science, that can power a vegan socialist world. Up to now, the capitalization of nature, has successfully delivered profit for the few, at the expense of all life. Capital is indifferent to the cries from slaughterhouses, the roar of anguish of burning forests, the animals who cannot flee infernos and flooding, sea creatures drowning in oceans of plastic and chemicals. The neo liberal capitalist ship sails on, a soulless machine, extracting humanity from humans. We can no longer see many stars through the haze of pollutants, but the stars shine on, within the idea of utopian socialism. We don't don't want to go to the stars as colonizing billionaires, we want to see the stars. This remarkable book, points the way. -- Sue Coe, artivist, author of Dead Meat, Cruel, and Sheep of FoolsVegan cookbook meets Minecraft, starring an economist of the Munich soviet republic as unlikely hero - here is a book unlike any you've read. Half-Earth Socialism flips the age of dystopias into a renewal of the genre of utopia. Unlikely to suit everyone's taste, it empowers readers to write their own recipes for a future in peril: an exercise in democracy few books have dared to undertake. -- Andreas Malm, author of Fossil CapitalCapitalism is clearly destroying the planet. If socialists want to offer a real alternative to profit-driven catastrophe, they need to rethink deeply ingrained assumptions and abandon ruinous habits. Building a society that operates within ecological constraints requires an unleashing of our political imaginations, and this book helps us do just that. You may not agree with every word of this bold and provocative book, but it raises urgent and necessary questions that the left must grapple with before it's too late. -- Astra Taylor, author of Democracy May Not Exist, but We’ll Miss it When It’s GoneMoves fluidly between sharp polemic, technical detail and utopian climate fiction...Vettese and Pendergrass add weight to a growing movement of socialist environmentalists who put economic planning at the core of their proposals. -- Chris Saltmarsh * The Ecologist *Refreshing ... Vettese and Pendergrass's is a humble utopia. There is solidarity, fulfilment, full bellies, and plenty of leisure time. Crucially, there is a climate in repair, which is more than enough to win me over in my darkest hours. -- Russell Warfield * Resurgence & Ecologist *A radical vision of how to build a better world for all. -- Dan Carrier * Islington Tribune *Revive[s] the utopian socialist tradition. -- Hema Vaishnavi Ale * LSE Review of Books *Engaging -- Jack Kellam * The Oxonian Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction1. Binding Prometheus2. The New Republic3. Planning the Half-Earth4. News from 2047Epilogue: An Epoch of Rest
£14.99
Verso Books The Left Alternative
Book SynopsisConfronting the major debates in the world today-about national alternatives and alternative globalizations-Unger shows that there is a set of initiatives that we can begin to develop with the materials at hand. Fully updated with a new preface, The Left Alternative equips the Left with the ideas that it needs to overthrow the dictatorship of no alternatives.Trade ReviewA good book to stir up leftists. -- Tyler Cowen * Bloomberg Business Week *Roberto Mangabeira Unger's book may someday make possible a new national romance ... a hitherto undreamt-of national future. -- Richard RortyA restless visionary. * New York Times *A philosophical mind out of the Third World turning tables, to become a synoptist and seer of the First. -- Perry AndersonBrazil's answer to John Stuart Mill ... a political philosopher extraordinaire. * Chronicle of Higher Education *This book has influenced how I think and what I do. It sets out the principles for a future Left and crucially challenges us to think not just about how we spend revenues but how we might create them. -- Neal Lawson, Chair of Compass
£13.39
