Crafting the neoliberal state – Workfare, prisonfare and social insecurity
Against the marginalised, the neoliberal state uses both traditional negligence – They are responsible for their fate thus no intervention is needed – and punishing discipline against this group, in cases even tangible, direct and brutal oppression.
The article is a modified and shortened version of the theoratical summary of the book of the author Loic Wacquant: Punishing the Poor: The Neoliberal Government of Social Insecurity. Durham, Duke University Press 2009.
The tasks ahead – March 2009 interview by Debate Socialista (Brazil)
The present crisis of the capitalist world is not just a cyclical one, but a comprehensive structural crisis of the system signing that the capital system has reached its absolute boundaries. As a result on the long run not only attempts to strengthen state regulation but also system stabilisation efforts by increasing oppression will be ineffective. This situation opens a new historic opportunity to create a new order based on solidarity and full social control of production. However to realise this theoretical opportunity, the defensive 20th century attitude of interest protection has to be given up, and strategic goals and the ways of fight of the working class should be profoundly rethought, as well as the relationship between its political and economy organisations.
Crisis and employment
According to the author, the global crisis in employment is finally the result of the geopolitically biased and historically and socially unjust relationship between labour and capital. The situation is not new at all maybe some of its aspects are renewed that did not occur before. The article not simply examines the negative effects generated by the production crisis but also the global world system that is responsible for the production crisis.
Financial and monetary issues as the crisis unfolds
A group of experts of the Economists for Peace and Security and the Initiative for Rethinking the Economy met again in Paris to discuss financial and monetary issues. Contrary to the mainstream, they were pessimistic that there would be sustained economic recovery and a return of high employment. The financial system preceding the crisis should not be restored and governments should not pursue exit strategies that permit a return to the status quo. Rather, the solution requires continuous state initiatives and financial structures serving public interests.
Originally published az Public Policy Brief No. 103, 2009 of the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College.
No. 80 | (Winter 2008)
According to authors of this issue of Eszmélet, those are wrong who consider the present global crisis a financial crisis only, because the financial collapse is only the tip of the iceberg – overproduction is lying behind. This crisis delivers changes in the world system, since neoliberalism has fallen. The present crisis of capitalism signs the beginning of a new era that makes people in different areas of the globe to face different alternatives. Authors of the articles of the issue make an overview not only on long waves, the role of oil but the search for new ways in Germany and France as well as the historic roots of the external vulnerability of Hungary.
In the year of its anniversary some articles address 1968 when political orientations of the revolting movement were rather mixed but all agreed in rejecting consumer capitalism that used the myth of the "American dream" also in post-war Europe to justify its existence. On the contrary, in East Europe reforms of the 60s aimed to build a "consumer socialism" (market socialism) – here the critique of the consumer society would have hardly been attractive to the masses and would not serve the interest of the political elite either.
Table of contents
- Andor László, Farkas Péter, Sebők Miklós, Krausz Tamás, Artner Annamária, Tamás Gáspár Miklós : The Global Financial Crisis and ist Critique of the World System
- William Tabb : Four Crises of the Contemporary World Capitalist System
- James K. Galbraith : Policy and Security Implications of the Financial Crisis: A Plan for America
- Walden Bello : A Primer on the Wall Street Meltdown
- Samir Amin : Financial Collapse, Systemic Crisis? Illusory Answers and Necessary Answers
- Immanuel Wallerstein : on the financial crisis
- Vigvári András : Remarks on the Sources of the External Vulnerability of Hungary
- The Global Economic Crisis: An Historic Opportunity for Transformation
- Responses from the South to the World Economic Crisis
- Mészáros Ádám : Globalisation-critique from us, for us and for all
- Andre Mommen : China’s Hunger for Oil
- Madarász Mihály : Kondratieff Cycles in the Oil Production of Russia and the Soviet Union
- Tütő László : The Temptation of Anarchism
- Mitrovits Miklós : Against the Current – Overview on the Intellectual Magazines of Poland
- Hajdu János : Two decades – in Search of a Way Forward in Germany
- Lugosi Győző : Die Linke a la francaise – Is the party structure in France changing?
- Krausz Tamás : 1968
- Slavoj Žižek : In 1968, Structures Walked on the Streets – Will They Do it Again?
- Gustave Massiah : May 1968 in the World