#politicaleeconomy — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #politicaleeconomy, aggregated by home.social.
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"Refreshingly, Trevor Jackson’s new book detailing the history of capitalism, The Insatiable Machine: How Capitalism Conquered the World, is surprisingly slim, comprising less than 250 pages of text. Jackson, an economic historian at the University of California, Berkeley, has attempted to provide a synthetic work that translates the recent findings of academic economists into a readable historical narrative for nonexperts. His judicious treatment of controversies in economic history is a highlight.
Jackson seeks to explain how capitalism became the globally dominant economic force by the end of the long nineteenth century. He argues that capitalism’s domination was not intentionally worked out by anyone in advance but rather was the unforeseen result of a series of decisions over the course of centuries by economic actors pursuing their own particular interests. Its proliferation has brought not only rising living standards but also great suffering and environmental catastrophe in train. Even if these are not particularly original observations, they are fundamental components of any competent history of capitalism.
Unlike many who cast a critical eye on capitalism, Jackson does not write as a Marxist or, really, an adherent of any other readily identifiable ideological lineage. He does recognize that his narrative is broadly compatible with both Marxist and more mainstream traditions in economic history. The only perspective Jackson clearly distances himself from — and rightly so — is the Adam Smith–inspired position that capitalism is a logical expression of human nature"
https://jacobin.com/2026/05/review-jackson-economic-history-capitalism
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"Refreshingly, Trevor Jackson’s new book detailing the history of capitalism, The Insatiable Machine: How Capitalism Conquered the World, is surprisingly slim, comprising less than 250 pages of text. Jackson, an economic historian at the University of California, Berkeley, has attempted to provide a synthetic work that translates the recent findings of academic economists into a readable historical narrative for nonexperts. His judicious treatment of controversies in economic history is a highlight.
Jackson seeks to explain how capitalism became the globally dominant economic force by the end of the long nineteenth century. He argues that capitalism’s domination was not intentionally worked out by anyone in advance but rather was the unforeseen result of a series of decisions over the course of centuries by economic actors pursuing their own particular interests. Its proliferation has brought not only rising living standards but also great suffering and environmental catastrophe in train. Even if these are not particularly original observations, they are fundamental components of any competent history of capitalism.
Unlike many who cast a critical eye on capitalism, Jackson does not write as a Marxist or, really, an adherent of any other readily identifiable ideological lineage. He does recognize that his narrative is broadly compatible with both Marxist and more mainstream traditions in economic history. The only perspective Jackson clearly distances himself from — and rightly so — is the Adam Smith–inspired position that capitalism is a logical expression of human nature"
https://jacobin.com/2026/05/review-jackson-economic-history-capitalism
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"Refreshingly, Trevor Jackson’s new book detailing the history of capitalism, The Insatiable Machine: How Capitalism Conquered the World, is surprisingly slim, comprising less than 250 pages of text. Jackson, an economic historian at the University of California, Berkeley, has attempted to provide a synthetic work that translates the recent findings of academic economists into a readable historical narrative for nonexperts. His judicious treatment of controversies in economic history is a highlight.
Jackson seeks to explain how capitalism became the globally dominant economic force by the end of the long nineteenth century. He argues that capitalism’s domination was not intentionally worked out by anyone in advance but rather was the unforeseen result of a series of decisions over the course of centuries by economic actors pursuing their own particular interests. Its proliferation has brought not only rising living standards but also great suffering and environmental catastrophe in train. Even if these are not particularly original observations, they are fundamental components of any competent history of capitalism.
Unlike many who cast a critical eye on capitalism, Jackson does not write as a Marxist or, really, an adherent of any other readily identifiable ideological lineage. He does recognize that his narrative is broadly compatible with both Marxist and more mainstream traditions in economic history. The only perspective Jackson clearly distances himself from — and rightly so — is the Adam Smith–inspired position that capitalism is a logical expression of human nature"
https://jacobin.com/2026/05/review-jackson-economic-history-capitalism
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"Refreshingly, Trevor Jackson’s new book detailing the history of capitalism, The Insatiable Machine: How Capitalism Conquered the World, is surprisingly slim, comprising less than 250 pages of text. Jackson, an economic historian at the University of California, Berkeley, has attempted to provide a synthetic work that translates the recent findings of academic economists into a readable historical narrative for nonexperts. His judicious treatment of controversies in economic history is a highlight.
Jackson seeks to explain how capitalism became the globally dominant economic force by the end of the long nineteenth century. He argues that capitalism’s domination was not intentionally worked out by anyone in advance but rather was the unforeseen result of a series of decisions over the course of centuries by economic actors pursuing their own particular interests. Its proliferation has brought not only rising living standards but also great suffering and environmental catastrophe in train. Even if these are not particularly original observations, they are fundamental components of any competent history of capitalism.
Unlike many who cast a critical eye on capitalism, Jackson does not write as a Marxist or, really, an adherent of any other readily identifiable ideological lineage. He does recognize that his narrative is broadly compatible with both Marxist and more mainstream traditions in economic history. The only perspective Jackson clearly distances himself from — and rightly so — is the Adam Smith–inspired position that capitalism is a logical expression of human nature"
https://jacobin.com/2026/05/review-jackson-economic-history-capitalism
-
"Refreshingly, Trevor Jackson’s new book detailing the history of capitalism, The Insatiable Machine: How Capitalism Conquered the World, is surprisingly slim, comprising less than 250 pages of text. Jackson, an economic historian at the University of California, Berkeley, has attempted to provide a synthetic work that translates the recent findings of academic economists into a readable historical narrative for nonexperts. His judicious treatment of controversies in economic history is a highlight.
Jackson seeks to explain how capitalism became the globally dominant economic force by the end of the long nineteenth century. He argues that capitalism’s domination was not intentionally worked out by anyone in advance but rather was the unforeseen result of a series of decisions over the course of centuries by economic actors pursuing their own particular interests. Its proliferation has brought not only rising living standards but also great suffering and environmental catastrophe in train. Even if these are not particularly original observations, they are fundamental components of any competent history of capitalism.
Unlike many who cast a critical eye on capitalism, Jackson does not write as a Marxist or, really, an adherent of any other readily identifiable ideological lineage. He does recognize that his narrative is broadly compatible with both Marxist and more mainstream traditions in economic history. The only perspective Jackson clearly distances himself from — and rightly so — is the Adam Smith–inspired position that capitalism is a logical expression of human nature"
https://jacobin.com/2026/05/review-jackson-economic-history-capitalism
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"What was promised by some on the post-neoliberal right was a return to the interests of workers, understood as wages and benefits generous enough to re-fix the social anchor of the male-breadwinner trad-family in the disorienting slurry of modern life. What has happened so far is a mockery of that promise. In practice, the MAGA-right version of post-neoliberalism has done nothing to realize the supposed values of community, place, dignity of labor, or any of the other fanciful terms proposed by the administration’s economist at the event. Instead, it has produced extraordinarily high levels of corruption and self-dealing; bilateral deals with overseas investors to privatize profits; and the inevitable prospect of future federal backstops for colossal investments by a small number of technology firms, with at best residual effects for the portion of the population not left behind by globalization—those positioned to profit via rising stock prices with fingers double-crossed that the bubble does not burst in the near future."
https://lpeproject.org/blog/post-neoliberalism-is-the-new-centrism/
#Neoliberalism #PoliticalEeconomy #PostNeoliberalism #EconomicNationalism
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"What was promised by some on the post-neoliberal right was a return to the interests of workers, understood as wages and benefits generous enough to re-fix the social anchor of the male-breadwinner trad-family in the disorienting slurry of modern life. What has happened so far is a mockery of that promise. In practice, the MAGA-right version of post-neoliberalism has done nothing to realize the supposed values of community, place, dignity of labor, or any of the other fanciful terms proposed by the administration’s economist at the event. Instead, it has produced extraordinarily high levels of corruption and self-dealing; bilateral deals with overseas investors to privatize profits; and the inevitable prospect of future federal backstops for colossal investments by a small number of technology firms, with at best residual effects for the portion of the population not left behind by globalization—those positioned to profit via rising stock prices with fingers double-crossed that the bubble does not burst in the near future."
https://lpeproject.org/blog/post-neoliberalism-is-the-new-centrism/
#Neoliberalism #PoliticalEeconomy #PostNeoliberalism #EconomicNationalism
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"What was promised by some on the post-neoliberal right was a return to the interests of workers, understood as wages and benefits generous enough to re-fix the social anchor of the male-breadwinner trad-family in the disorienting slurry of modern life. What has happened so far is a mockery of that promise. In practice, the MAGA-right version of post-neoliberalism has done nothing to realize the supposed values of community, place, dignity of labor, or any of the other fanciful terms proposed by the administration’s economist at the event. Instead, it has produced extraordinarily high levels of corruption and self-dealing; bilateral deals with overseas investors to privatize profits; and the inevitable prospect of future federal backstops for colossal investments by a small number of technology firms, with at best residual effects for the portion of the population not left behind by globalization—those positioned to profit via rising stock prices with fingers double-crossed that the bubble does not burst in the near future."
https://lpeproject.org/blog/post-neoliberalism-is-the-new-centrism/
#Neoliberalism #PoliticalEeconomy #PostNeoliberalism #EconomicNationalism
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"What was promised by some on the post-neoliberal right was a return to the interests of workers, understood as wages and benefits generous enough to re-fix the social anchor of the male-breadwinner trad-family in the disorienting slurry of modern life. What has happened so far is a mockery of that promise. In practice, the MAGA-right version of post-neoliberalism has done nothing to realize the supposed values of community, place, dignity of labor, or any of the other fanciful terms proposed by the administration’s economist at the event. Instead, it has produced extraordinarily high levels of corruption and self-dealing; bilateral deals with overseas investors to privatize profits; and the inevitable prospect of future federal backstops for colossal investments by a small number of technology firms, with at best residual effects for the portion of the population not left behind by globalization—those positioned to profit via rising stock prices with fingers double-crossed that the bubble does not burst in the near future."
https://lpeproject.org/blog/post-neoliberalism-is-the-new-centrism/
#Neoliberalism #PoliticalEeconomy #PostNeoliberalism #EconomicNationalism
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"What was promised by some on the post-neoliberal right was a return to the interests of workers, understood as wages and benefits generous enough to re-fix the social anchor of the male-breadwinner trad-family in the disorienting slurry of modern life. What has happened so far is a mockery of that promise. In practice, the MAGA-right version of post-neoliberalism has done nothing to realize the supposed values of community, place, dignity of labor, or any of the other fanciful terms proposed by the administration’s economist at the event. Instead, it has produced extraordinarily high levels of corruption and self-dealing; bilateral deals with overseas investors to privatize profits; and the inevitable prospect of future federal backstops for colossal investments by a small number of technology firms, with at best residual effects for the portion of the population not left behind by globalization—those positioned to profit via rising stock prices with fingers double-crossed that the bubble does not burst in the near future."
https://lpeproject.org/blog/post-neoliberalism-is-the-new-centrism/
#Neoliberalism #PoliticalEeconomy #PostNeoliberalism #EconomicNationalism
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"As for the China deal that Trump and Bessent now seemed to be hoping for, Trump said on Wednesday that talks were “actively” happening—even as Bessent repeated publicly what he had said in private on Tuesday, that there were no such discussions as yet and that “both sides are waiting to speak to the other.” By Thursday, China was openly mocking the U.S. President. “Fake news,” the Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, Guo Jiakun, said of Trump’s alleged talks. “China and the United States have not held consultations or negotiations on the tariff issue, let alone reached an agreement.” Got all that? The bottom line, as so often with Trump, is that there’s no there there. At least for now.
When Trump returned to office nearly a hundred days ago, he immodestly promised a slew of deals—from peace in the Middle East to ending Russia’s war in Ukraine in his first twenty-four hours. After he unveiled his tariff plans at the start of April, then gave the countries that he’d targeted an additional three months to work out terms before the levies come into effect, Navarro talked up the possibility of “ninety deals in ninety days.” None of these “big, beautiful deals” that Trump likes to brag about, however, have so far been forthcoming."
#USA #Trump #Tariffs #TradeWar #Protectionism #PoliticalEeconomy
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"As for the China deal that Trump and Bessent now seemed to be hoping for, Trump said on Wednesday that talks were “actively” happening—even as Bessent repeated publicly what he had said in private on Tuesday, that there were no such discussions as yet and that “both sides are waiting to speak to the other.” By Thursday, China was openly mocking the U.S. President. “Fake news,” the Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, Guo Jiakun, said of Trump’s alleged talks. “China and the United States have not held consultations or negotiations on the tariff issue, let alone reached an agreement.” Got all that? The bottom line, as so often with Trump, is that there’s no there there. At least for now.
When Trump returned to office nearly a hundred days ago, he immodestly promised a slew of deals—from peace in the Middle East to ending Russia’s war in Ukraine in his first twenty-four hours. After he unveiled his tariff plans at the start of April, then gave the countries that he’d targeted an additional three months to work out terms before the levies come into effect, Navarro talked up the possibility of “ninety deals in ninety days.” None of these “big, beautiful deals” that Trump likes to brag about, however, have so far been forthcoming."
#USA #Trump #Tariffs #TradeWar #Protectionism #PoliticalEeconomy
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"As for the China deal that Trump and Bessent now seemed to be hoping for, Trump said on Wednesday that talks were “actively” happening—even as Bessent repeated publicly what he had said in private on Tuesday, that there were no such discussions as yet and that “both sides are waiting to speak to the other.” By Thursday, China was openly mocking the U.S. President. “Fake news,” the Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, Guo Jiakun, said of Trump’s alleged talks. “China and the United States have not held consultations or negotiations on the tariff issue, let alone reached an agreement.” Got all that? The bottom line, as so often with Trump, is that there’s no there there. At least for now.
When Trump returned to office nearly a hundred days ago, he immodestly promised a slew of deals—from peace in the Middle East to ending Russia’s war in Ukraine in his first twenty-four hours. After he unveiled his tariff plans at the start of April, then gave the countries that he’d targeted an additional three months to work out terms before the levies come into effect, Navarro talked up the possibility of “ninety deals in ninety days.” None of these “big, beautiful deals” that Trump likes to brag about, however, have so far been forthcoming."
#USA #Trump #Tariffs #TradeWar #Protectionism #PoliticalEeconomy
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"As for the China deal that Trump and Bessent now seemed to be hoping for, Trump said on Wednesday that talks were “actively” happening—even as Bessent repeated publicly what he had said in private on Tuesday, that there were no such discussions as yet and that “both sides are waiting to speak to the other.” By Thursday, China was openly mocking the U.S. President. “Fake news,” the Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, Guo Jiakun, said of Trump’s alleged talks. “China and the United States have not held consultations or negotiations on the tariff issue, let alone reached an agreement.” Got all that? The bottom line, as so often with Trump, is that there’s no there there. At least for now.
When Trump returned to office nearly a hundred days ago, he immodestly promised a slew of deals—from peace in the Middle East to ending Russia’s war in Ukraine in his first twenty-four hours. After he unveiled his tariff plans at the start of April, then gave the countries that he’d targeted an additional three months to work out terms before the levies come into effect, Navarro talked up the possibility of “ninety deals in ninety days.” None of these “big, beautiful deals” that Trump likes to brag about, however, have so far been forthcoming."
#USA #Trump #Tariffs #TradeWar #Protectionism #PoliticalEeconomy
-
"As for the China deal that Trump and Bessent now seemed to be hoping for, Trump said on Wednesday that talks were “actively” happening—even as Bessent repeated publicly what he had said in private on Tuesday, that there were no such discussions as yet and that “both sides are waiting to speak to the other.” By Thursday, China was openly mocking the U.S. President. “Fake news,” the Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, Guo Jiakun, said of Trump’s alleged talks. “China and the United States have not held consultations or negotiations on the tariff issue, let alone reached an agreement.” Got all that? The bottom line, as so often with Trump, is that there’s no there there. At least for now.
When Trump returned to office nearly a hundred days ago, he immodestly promised a slew of deals—from peace in the Middle East to ending Russia’s war in Ukraine in his first twenty-four hours. After he unveiled his tariff plans at the start of April, then gave the countries that he’d targeted an additional three months to work out terms before the levies come into effect, Navarro talked up the possibility of “ninety deals in ninety days.” None of these “big, beautiful deals” that Trump likes to brag about, however, have so far been forthcoming."
#USA #Trump #Tariffs #TradeWar #Protectionism #PoliticalEeconomy