Kapitalismen och utanförskapet

En intressant intervju med den amerikanske ekonomen Michael Perelman. Han säger bland annat detta, med anledning av en kommande bok som ska heta "The Invisible Handcuffs of Capitalism: How Market Control Tyranny Stifles the Economy by Stunting Workers”:

In Greek mythology, Procrustes was a sadistic innkeeper who made his "guests" bodies conform to his iron bed. He would chop off as much as necessary from the tall ones and stretch out the short ones. I used the reference because the market is typically treated as a voluntary system, whereas, in reality, the rules of the market require most people to conform to the system, much like the sadistic innkeeper.

The book concentrates on the exclusion of work, workers, and working conditions from economic theory. This neglect carries over into the way business is done under capitalism, especially in the United States.

I intentionally disregard considerations of justice because many other people have done good work from that perspective. Instead, I try to look at how irrationality of this exclusion of work, workers, and working conditions affects the process of production. In following this line of thought, many of the other destructive and unjust aspects of the system become obvious.

Of course, this system does little to help people on the lower rungs of society. The book does not emphasize this injustice, but rather how it deprives society of people's lost potential. This potential could make life better even for those at the controlling heights of society.

Läs.