The Concept of Capitalism
Scott, Bruce R.
Sold by Theoria Books, Andover, MA, U.S.A.
AbeBooks Seller since June 12, 2016
Used - Soft cover
Condition: Used - Fine
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Add to basketSold by Theoria Books, Andover, MA, U.S.A.
AbeBooks Seller since June 12, 2016
Condition: Used - Fine
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basket75pp. No printings or editions cited, presumed first printing. Glossy wrappers with front cover color photo-illustration of green grass of soccer field with white playing field lines as background for inserted image of soccer ball in net, at left middle cover, below author and title lettering in white across upper middle front cover. Two tiny bumps with diminishing echo toward front of text block to lower edge rear cover, between 1 1/2" and 2" to left of spine corner, are only blemishes to artifact, else New: tight binding, sharp corners, NO rubbing wear, no previous owner names. Clean text. Book looks unused.
Seller Inventory # 000641
A single system of economic governance – capitalism – prevails in the world today, both in theory and in practice. Yet there is neither a standard definition of capitalism nor a theory of how it works. Moreover, the most common conception of capitalism is that of a one-level system governed by markets, i.e., supply and demand, where many socioeconomic externalities are ignored. The purpose of this book is to counter this conception, showing that capitalism is more than markets. In fact, capitalism shares many parallels with everyday organized sports, in that both are indirect, three-level systems of governance where "freedom" is conditional on "playing by the rules." In organized sports, games (level 1) are shaped by official rules and monitored by referees (level 2), which are in turn regulated and revised by a governing organization (level 3) that oversees the sport as a whole. In capitalism, markets (level 1) are shaped by institutions and regulations and monitored by independent officials (level 2), which are in turn selected and shaped by a political authority (level 3) that oversees the system as a whole.
As simple and obvious as this parallel with organized sports may seem, the underlying cause of much of the economic instability of the last 25 years, and specifically of the current crisis, has stemmed from not understanding capitalism in this way, i.e., as a three-level system of governance. Only by improving our understanding of capitalism can we create better institutions and implement better policymaking to not only fix the present crisis of our capitalist system but also avoid future ones.
"Scott’s analysis of capitalism and democracy is striking both for its originality and for its rich policy suggestiveness and sheds an entirely new light on recent economic history" Charles Morris, author of "The Trillion Dollar Meltdown"
"An excellent case for thinking of capitalism as a system embodying political authorityas well as markets and, after reading it, one wonders how one could ever have thought otherwise" Prof. Peter A. Hall, Harvard University
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