Guglielmo Carchedi – författare

First published in 1983, Problems in Class Analysis presents a coherent theory of labour’s domination by capital, based upon the notion of the capitalist nature of both the product relations and of the productive forces themselves, including science and technology. The author demonstrates that all knowledges are a product, direct or indirect, of economic relations, so that different knowledges will be the product of different social classes as determined by their position within economic production relations. By posing and re-solving fundamental problems in class analysis, Dr. Carchedi forms a bridge between the theory of the production process and contemporary debates in economics, sociology and epistemology.

First published in 1977, On the Economic Identification of Social Classes centres around the economic identification – the definition in terms of production relations – of social classes, focussing on the developed capitalist countries. The basic stages of capitalist development are considered, with special emphasis on monopoly capitalism. The book includes a detailed analysis of the functional element of the capitalist production relations; the identification, in terms of production and distribution relations, of the new middle class under monopoly capitalism; and the analysis of the process of proletarianism of this class. New theoretical concepts – of position, devaluation of labour power through dequalification of positions, and of capitalist and non-capitalist state activities – are developed to further the discussions, which, although fresh in approach, are immersed in the complex texture of Marxist thought. This book will be of interest to students of economics and sociology.

First published in 1983, Problems in Class Analysis presents a coherent theory of labour’s domination by capital, based upon the notion of the capitalist nature of both the product relations and of the productive forces themselves, including science and technology. The author demonstrates that all knowledges are a product, direct or indirect, of economic relations, so that different knowledges will be the product of different social classes as determined by their position within economic production relations. By posing and re-solving fundamental problems in class analysis, Dr. Carchedi forms a bridge between the theory of the production process and contemporary debates in economics, sociology and epistemology.

First published in 1977, On the Economic Identification of Social Classes centres around the economic identification – the definition in terms of production relations – of social classes, focussing on the developed capitalist countries. The basic stages of capitalist development are considered, with special emphasis on monopoly capitalism. The book includes a detailed analysis of the functional element of the capitalist production relations; the identification, in terms of production and distribution relations, of the new middle class under monopoly capitalism; and the analysis of the process of proletarianism of this class. New theoretical concepts – of position, devaluation of labour power through dequalification of positions, and of capitalist and non-capitalist state activities – are developed to further the discussions, which, although fresh in approach, are immersed in the complex texture of Marxist thought. This book will be of interest to students of economics and sociology.

Most mainstream economists view capitalism’s periodic breakdowns as nothing more than temporary aberrations from an otherwise unbroken path toward prosperity. For Marxists, this fundamental flaw has long been acknowledged as a central feature of the free-market system. This groundbreaking volume brings together Marxist scholars from around the world to offer an empirically grounded defense of Marx’s law of profitability and its central role in explaining capitalist crises.

“World in Crisis has a specific aim: to provide empirical validity to the hypothesis that the cause of recurring economic crises or slumps in output, investment, and employment in modern economies can be found in Marx’s law of the tendential fall in the rate of profit. Marx believed, and we agree, that this is ‘the most important law in political economy.’” —from the preface