Polarizing Development: Alternatives to Neoliberalism and the Crisis

by Lucia Pradella (Editor), Thomas Marois (Editor)

The global economic crisis has exposed the limits of neoliberalism and dramatically deepened social polarization. Yet, despite increasing social resistance and opposition, neoliberalism prevails globally.
Radical alternatives, moreover, are only rarely debated. And if they are, such alternatives are reduced to new Keynesian and new developmental agendas, which fail to address existing class divisions and imperialist relations of domination.
This collection of essays polarizes the debate between radical and reformist alternatives by exploring head-on the antagonistic structure of capitalist development. The contributors ground their proposals in an international, non-Eurocentric and Marxian inspired analysis of capitalism and its crises. From Latin America to Asia, Africa to the Middle East and Europe to the US, social and labour movements have emerged as the protagonists behind creating alternatives.
This book’s new generation of scholars has written accessible yet theoretically informed and empirically rich chapters elaborating radical worldwide strategies for moving beyond neoliberalism, and beyond capitalism. The intent is to provoke critical reflection and positive action towards substantive change.

Genres: Economics

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

Reviews

[Rhys · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a well edited collection of essays: precisely written and varied enough along the common theme to be interesting throughout. I particularly liked the formatting of the introductions with succinct statements delimiting each essay. A pleasure to read.

The content is also very interesting. Pradella's introduction and essay summarizes the thesis very well:

"In the final assessment, new developmentalism admirably targets some of neoliberalism’s economic failures, seeks to craft virtuous cycles of stable growth and to alleviate poverty. The structural power of capital and the systematic exploitation of workers are nonetheless repackaged and reproduced. New developmentalism only modifies neoliberalism as a form of class rule responding to labour and social mobilisations." Marois & Pradella, p.9

There is a table from McDonald (p.126/7) that was quite well done: Criteria Used to Evaluate Alternatives to Privatisation. A good set of indicators to evaluate progress based on the needs of people.

Though most of the essays agree that the left has been routed these past few decades, they offer hope (not sappy hope, but real promise) that there is the beginning of a confluence of social upheaval. The advice is to get prepared:

"In times of crisis such as the present one, the prospect of assuming government without a programme for a radical break with capitalism leads to moderation and retreats, dispersing the potential for struggle existing among workers, and dangerously, leaving room to the far right." Pradella, p.25

[Elle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat little collection of 23 essays on the effects of and responses to the crisis of capitalism post-2007 from all around the globe. Unfortunately, given that there are so many essays here, many are derivative of previously published work by the authors or are ham-strung by the 11-12 page limit on each essay.