Karl Polanyi and twenty-first-century capitalism

Radhika Desai is Professor at the Department of Political Studies at the University of ManitobaKari Polanyi Levitt is Honorary President of the Karl Polanyi Institute of Political Economy at Concordia University

'This book shows just how contemporary the thought of Karl Polanyi is today. Ably organised chapters trace various elements of his thinking, from the famous ‘double movement’ to his relevance for constructing a better world beyond neoliberal capitalism.'Ronaldo Munck, Professor of International Development, Dublin City University'Why is the interest in Karl Polanyi spreading so widely in our neoliberal times? This book brilliantly looks for an answer to this question. A deeper understanding of Polanyi’s social theory and political philosophy is fruitfully applied to the analysis of both permanent aspects and current problems of our society.'Michele Cangiani, former Professor of Economic Sociology, Università Ca'Foscari Venezia, Italy'This volume testifies that scholarship on Polanyi and Polanyian critique of our times is getting stronger day by day. The fresh insights and the new provocative debates launched in this collection are clear signs of this vitality.'Attila Melegh, Director of Karl Polanyi Research Center, Corvinus University of Budapest'This book brings new insights to Polanyi scholarship. Readers are taken on a journey through the evolution of Polanyi’s thought and into conversation with him about today’s complex societal challenges. The originality of this book is its intersection between the political economy and social philosophy of Karl Polanyi.'Marguerite Mendell, Professor Emerita, Karl Polanyi Institute of Political Economy, Concordia University'This book is a treasure trove of ideas and provocations for future work. Even for those who have some doubt about aspects of Polanyi’s legacy these diverse chapters show, in a very convincing manner, what a rich contribution he has left for us, including The Great Transformation but going much further and wider than that. At the very least we need to continue our dialogue with Polanyi and his ideas, for our understanding of our current crises and dilemmas will be greatly enriched in the process.'Marx and Philosophy

• 1 Introduction: Karl Polanyi in the twenty-first century – Radhika Desai Part I: The great transformation and since2 The return of Karl Polanyi: From the Bennington lectures to our present age of transformation – Kari Polanyi-LevittPart II: Money as a fictitious commodity3 Debt, land and money: From Polanyi to the new economic archaeology – Michael Hudson4 Commodified money and the crustacean nation – Radhika Desai5 Double movement, embeddedness and the transformation of the financial system – Oscar Ugarteche GalarzaPart III: The double movement and socialism6 The reality of society – Abraham Rotstein7 Fictitious ideas, social facts and the double movement: Polanyi’s framework in the age of neoliberalism – Claus Thomasberger8 Multilinear trajectories: Polanyi, The Great Transformation, and the American exception – Hannes Lacher9 This freedom kills: Karl Polanyi’s quest for an alternative to the liberal vision of freedom – Michael BriePart IV: Elective affinities10 Polanyi’s democratic socialist vision: Piketty through the lens of Polanyi – Margaret R. Somers and Fred Block11 Karl Polanyi as a precursor of world-systems theorists: An investigation of the theoretical lineage to Giovanni Arrighi – Chikako Nakayama12 Polanyi in space – Jamie PeckBibliography