All posts by sz szilu84

The GATT and the developing countries

The liberalisation of world trade under the auspices of GATT is often interpreted as creating equal opportunities for various countries in the world economy. A deeper analysis discovers the surviving discrimination behind the facade, and the increasing exposure of low income countries to monopoly groups of the capitalist core.

A game without vision – Football crisis in Britain

In the first of a new series of reports examining "Great Market Failures", the authors argue that market forces are preventing the development of a successful national football team and a balanced league structure. They argue that the problems of English football are structural. They call for the appointment of a football supremo to run the game, for a ban on mid-season transfers and for the axing of 4 teams from the Premiership.

The role of foreign capital in the transformation of Eastern Europe

The paper aims to promote a shift in focus towards the role of foreign capital in the economic transformation of ex-communist countries. It looks briefly at the context of the transnationalisation of economic activity, and looks at the objectives of foreign capital in the region, by examining the patterns of direct investment since 1990. Then the author reviews the impact of foreign capital on host countries, as well as policy responses of the region's governments.

The return of the proletariat and the weakness of the left

Sociologists have been analysing the transition from the so-called Fordist model into another one named Toyotism. This process culminates in a return to a class structure before the socially reformed capitalism. Labour depreciates, and wage-earners tend to lose their social entitments. The state that used to be a counterveiling power to capital, now stands on the side of increasing class exploitation. The author argues that the left must seek the way by linking basis democracy to internationalisation.