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Escape From Capitalism: Economics is Political, and Other Liberating Truths
'Capitalism seems invincible and inevitable. It is neither. Clara Mattei illustrates brilliantly its fragility and restores hope that everything could be different' Yanis Varoufakis
Economics is sold as pure and scientific, neutral, exact. This urgent book exposes its true to convince us there’s no alternative to capitalism.
We live in a world dominated by the dogma that austerity is necessary, unemployment natural, endless wars inevitable and central banks all-powerful. It doesn’t have to be this way.
In her bold, ground-breaking manifesto, economist Clara E. Mattei tears the mask off our economic system. She unpacks key concepts like growth, inflation, unemployment and balanced budgets to show how they’re weaponized to enforce market dependence, not freedom, stripping us of the power to shape the democratic decisions that govern our daily lives. Enduring problems such as poverty and inequality are not accidents or bugs in the economy, but core features – justified with pseudoscientific models to support a system that unfairly rewards people with the most resources.
Why should we accept this? Capitalism, Mattei argues, isn’t inevitable, scientific, or natural – it's a relatively young system that can be replaced. Inspired by a lineage of political resistance, Escape from Capitalism calls for us to challenge the broken economics of our times, and pave the way towards liberation.
Economics is sold as pure and scientific, neutral, exact. This urgent book exposes its true to convince us there’s no alternative to capitalism.
We live in a world dominated by the dogma that austerity is necessary, unemployment natural, endless wars inevitable and central banks all-powerful. It doesn’t have to be this way.
In her bold, ground-breaking manifesto, economist Clara E. Mattei tears the mask off our economic system. She unpacks key concepts like growth, inflation, unemployment and balanced budgets to show how they’re weaponized to enforce market dependence, not freedom, stripping us of the power to shape the democratic decisions that govern our daily lives. Enduring problems such as poverty and inequality are not accidents or bugs in the economy, but core features – justified with pseudoscientific models to support a system that unfairly rewards people with the most resources.
Why should we accept this? Capitalism, Mattei argues, isn’t inevitable, scientific, or natural – it's a relatively young system that can be replaced. Inspired by a lineage of political resistance, Escape from Capitalism calls for us to challenge the broken economics of our times, and pave the way towards liberation.
- GenresEconomicsNonfiction
209 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 22, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 4, 2026
In these difficult times the only people that make me feel any pride in being Italian are Francesca Albanese and Clara Mattei.
February 15, 2026
Mattei has written a clear, succinct introductory book on the workings of capitalism. It may serve (although I am skeptical about this) as an educational starting point for readers who are not well versed in the current dynamics of global financial capitalism and critical political economy.
For those familiar with critical studies and Marxist literature, the book’s novelty lies in the way it integrates contemporary political philosophy, recent work in critical political economy, and scholarship on the historical debates around capitalism in order to make sense of what she calls the “capitalist order.” For more advanced readers, it may be most useful as a guide to the extensive footnotes and the works she cites.
Beyond that, I am looking forward to the Spanish edition so I can help disseminate her arguments and the most recent scholarship. Unfortunately, I am not deeply trained in political economy and have a foundational (intermediate level) of development studies; still, having read Shaikh, Harvey, Fine, and Alfredo Saad-Filho, I feel I have a solid framework to discuss these issues and bring new ideas to the table in conversations with comrades and political analysts
For those familiar with critical studies and Marxist literature, the book’s novelty lies in the way it integrates contemporary political philosophy, recent work in critical political economy, and scholarship on the historical debates around capitalism in order to make sense of what she calls the “capitalist order.” For more advanced readers, it may be most useful as a guide to the extensive footnotes and the works she cites.
Beyond that, I am looking forward to the Spanish edition so I can help disseminate her arguments and the most recent scholarship. Unfortunately, I am not deeply trained in political economy and have a foundational (intermediate level) of development studies; still, having read Shaikh, Harvey, Fine, and Alfredo Saad-Filho, I feel I have a solid framework to discuss these issues and bring new ideas to the table in conversations with comrades and political analysts
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews