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Noul capitalism romanesc
Facand o ampla analiza economica, politico-ideologica, dar si sociologica, autorul radiografiaza tranzitia romaneasca din perioada postcomunista, incercand sa indentifice noul proiect de societate care se contureaza, precum si fortele sociale si politice care ar sprijini edificarea ei. El argumenteaza ca civilizatia care se construieste azi in tara noastra inmbina trasaturi ale lumii occidentale (in interiorul careia a fost cuprinsa institutional) cu altele, adesea diferite, uneori contradictorii. Analizand fenomene precum decline capitalului autohton in fata celui strain si tendinta economiei romaneste de a se restrange pe masura occidentalizarii, clivajul dintre societatea rurala si "insulele"{ de civilizatie oncidentala concentrate in marile orase, autorul considera ca ceea ce trebuie sa faca clasa politica de acum incole este sa treaca la construirea prosperiatii populatiei.
- GenresRomania
538 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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May 27, 2025
What happens when a Communist regime falls and the entire society must be remade? The new Romanian capitalism by the well-known sociologist and former political insider, Vladimir Pasti tries to provide some answers, mostly by mixing a heterodox form of Marxism and elite theory. The focus is on the ruling classes. Published in 2006, the book is useful if the reader is interested in how the elite remade in the 1990s sees itself (a bit like the Avengers of capitalism), but it doesn`t offer a good explanation for Romania`s many social changes since 1989.
Vladimir Pasti's work argues that the transition from Communism to capitalism involved a redefinition and a transfer of property. This situation made the local political elite highly influential in the 1990s and early 2000s, a context which was ending. At that time, Romania was a new member of NATO and was close to joining the European Union. According to The new Romanian capitalism, the new priority should have been welfare, prosperity, in cooperation with global capitalism, a goal which previous attempts to modernize failed to achieve.
The analysis leads to confusion. The reader of The new Romanian capitalism is left wondering whether the major source of change, for Romania, is the mode of production (capitalism), elite`s composition and decisions or the international system. Sometimes, in Vladimir Pasti's work, the local elites have a large freedom to choose, other times, they do not. The issue of political, economic, and social costs of these major options deserved a better treatment, at least because it explains a cause of domestic conflict.
The elites and classes are not very well defined either. In The new Romanian capitalism, we meet the political group, the administration, the national capital, two small bourgeoisies (one private and internationalized, the other local and state-related), international capitalism, the intellectuals, and the rest of the society (workers, peasants etc.). Vladimir Pasti`s message that the corrupt transfer of property towards the former managerial elite by the politicians was the essence of transition and unavoidable is not convincing and lacks a deep analysis. As other works have shown, there is variation in post-communist trajectories, and Marxist writers have a bewildering tendency to invent classes and political orientations to fit their conclusions.
To achieve prosperity, Vladimir Pasti argued that it was required that the political struggles about corruption, and the post-communist elites should end. This didn`t happen because transition was more complex than a property transfer, involving a wider moral, institutional, social, and cultural process. History is always moving, and it is difficult to control change and the ruling classes, and the society are more diverse now than the book foresaw. With all these taken into consideration, the new Romanian capitalism should be read as a historical document, reflecting a tow-down view of the changes in the last three decades and it may help us understand the predicament of today.
Vladimir Pasti's work argues that the transition from Communism to capitalism involved a redefinition and a transfer of property. This situation made the local political elite highly influential in the 1990s and early 2000s, a context which was ending. At that time, Romania was a new member of NATO and was close to joining the European Union. According to The new Romanian capitalism, the new priority should have been welfare, prosperity, in cooperation with global capitalism, a goal which previous attempts to modernize failed to achieve.
The analysis leads to confusion. The reader of The new Romanian capitalism is left wondering whether the major source of change, for Romania, is the mode of production (capitalism), elite`s composition and decisions or the international system. Sometimes, in Vladimir Pasti's work, the local elites have a large freedom to choose, other times, they do not. The issue of political, economic, and social costs of these major options deserved a better treatment, at least because it explains a cause of domestic conflict.
The elites and classes are not very well defined either. In The new Romanian capitalism, we meet the political group, the administration, the national capital, two small bourgeoisies (one private and internationalized, the other local and state-related), international capitalism, the intellectuals, and the rest of the society (workers, peasants etc.). Vladimir Pasti`s message that the corrupt transfer of property towards the former managerial elite by the politicians was the essence of transition and unavoidable is not convincing and lacks a deep analysis. As other works have shown, there is variation in post-communist trajectories, and Marxist writers have a bewildering tendency to invent classes and political orientations to fit their conclusions.
To achieve prosperity, Vladimir Pasti argued that it was required that the political struggles about corruption, and the post-communist elites should end. This didn`t happen because transition was more complex than a property transfer, involving a wider moral, institutional, social, and cultural process. History is always moving, and it is difficult to control change and the ruling classes, and the society are more diverse now than the book foresaw. With all these taken into consideration, the new Romanian capitalism should be read as a historical document, reflecting a tow-down view of the changes in the last three decades and it may help us understand the predicament of today.
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