Giulio Palermo – författare

Capitalism is often held to be the best of all possible worlds, or even the only possible world, in which the market is underpinned by the highest principles of rationality, efficiency, and compatibility with democracy. These truths are backed up by economists, a group who present themselves as impartial experts capable of operating independently of ideology or political intrusion.

This book questions these “scientific truths”. It discusses the ideological foundations of neoliberalism and the value judgements, often kept implicit, in economic theory. It analyses the claims of the key pillars of neoliberal economics – the neoclassical and Austrian schools of economic thought – and the myths which they propagate about markets. It is shown that there is a deep division between the theoretical market - the fair market, the free market, the market of equal opportunities, the market as producer of wealth, the market as a forum for discovering and sharing information – and the reality. This is not a simple problem of realism. The problem also concerns the perfect market idealized by these theories, which is subjected to criticism through a process of demystification that reveals the true ideological content hidden behind the market myths. There have been various attempts by heterodox schools of economics to move beyond this flawed view of the market. However, these have struggled to gain mainstream attention because of the cultural and political dominance of the neoliberal mindset which is claimed to be objective and neutral. Ultimately, the book argues that neoliberalism needs to be countered with an alternative based on a progressive decommodification of social relations to reduce the real and imagined significance of the market.

This book is essential reading for those interested in Marxist political economy, heterodox economics, and critiques of neoliberalism, capitalism and markets.

Capitalism is often held to be the best of all possible worlds, or even the only possible world, in which the market is underpinned by the highest principles of rationality, efficiency, and compatibility with democracy. These truths are backed up by economists, a group who present themselves as impartial experts capable of operating independently of ideology or political intrusion.

This book questions these “scientific truths”. It discusses the ideological foundations of neoliberalism and the value judgements, often kept implicit, in economic theory. It analyses the claims of the key pillars of neoliberal economics – the neoclassical and Austrian schools of economic thought – and the myths which they propagate about markets. It is shown that there is a deep division between the theoretical market - the fair market, the free market, the market of equal opportunities, the market as producer of wealth, the market as a forum for discovering and sharing information – and the reality. This is not a simple problem of realism. The problem also concerns the perfect market idealized by these theories, which is subjected to criticism through a process of demystification that reveals the true ideological content hidden behind the market myths. There have been various attempts by heterodox schools of economics to move beyond this flawed view of the market. However, these have struggled to gain mainstream attention because of the cultural and political dominance of the neoliberal mindset which is claimed to be objective and neutral. Ultimately, the book argues that neoliberalism needs to be countered with an alternative based on a progressive decommodification of social relations to reduce the real and imagined significance of the market.

This book is essential reading for those interested in Marxist political economy, heterodox economics, and critiques of neoliberalism, capitalism and markets.

In the economic debate, power is defined and studied mainly as an interpersonal relation occurring out of perfect competition. This is a consequence of the combination of methodological individualism and the assumption of competition as a natural and everlasting coordinating mechanism, operating without any sort of coercion. This methodology, however, is not adequate to analyze the forms of social coercion that characterize capitalism.

Economics and Power criticizes the main theories of power developed in economic literature, analyzing ultraliberal contractualism to radical political economics, and ultimately suggesting a Marxist conception of power and coercion in capitalism. Palermo’s ontological argument is rooted in the philosophy of ‘critical realism’.This unique volume presents his main finding as being that the essential coercive mechanism of capitalism is competition. Capitalist power is not caused by a lack of competition, but by the central role it plays in this mode of production. Following this, the chapters reconstruct a Marxian conception of power where it is analyzed as a social relation and argues that perfect competition does in fact exist under the disguise of capitalist power. This book criticizes the construct of power and the underlying ideas surrounding perfect competition.

This book is of interest to those who study political economy, as well as economic theory and philosophy.

In the economic debate, power is defined and studied mainly as an interpersonal relation occurring out of perfect competition. This is a consequence of the combination of methodological individualism and the assumption of competition as a natural and everlasting coordinating mechanism, operating without any sort of coercion. This methodology, however, is not adequate to analyze the forms of social coercion that characterize capitalism.

Economics and Power criticizes the main theories of power developed in economic literature, analyzing ultraliberal contractualism to radical political economics, and ultimately suggesting a Marxist conception of power and coercion in capitalism. Palermo’s ontological argument is rooted in the philosophy of ‘critical realism’.This unique volume presents his main finding as being that the essential coercive mechanism of capitalism is competition. Capitalist power is not caused by a lack of competition, but by the central role it plays in this mode of production. Following this, the chapters reconstruct a Marxian conception of power where it is analyzed as a social relation and argues that perfect competition does in fact exist under the disguise of capitalist power. This book criticizes the construct of power and the underlying ideas surrounding perfect competition.

This book is of interest to those who study political economy, as well as economic theory and philosophy.