KARL POLANYI AND THE CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL CRISIS : transforming market society in the era of... climate change

Writing in the early 1950s, Austro-Hungarian intellectual, educator and socialist Karl Polanyi (1886-1964) described the period as 'an age of unprecedented transition' requiring 'all the orientation that history can provide if we are to find our bearings' . 1 These words describe even more accurately our contemporary period than they did the period in which they were written. For, to borrow Gareth Dale's pithy summation of where we find ourselves as 'liberal-civilisational disintegration' , 2 today's world is displaying ever more severe strains of multiple and reinforcing dislocations that are, indeed, unprecedented. The 2020 coronavirus pandemic highlighted this for many people, shattering a belief in society's stability and progress. While some speak of the contemporary period at the beginning of the twenty-first century as an 'interregnum' , 3 arguably we have far less sense of where we may be transitioning than had those reading Polanyi's words when they were written. Or, to put it more accurately, the world of the early 1950s was settling into a contested landscape of East versus West that was to shape the following forty years. This was unsettling, and it grew particularly scary as nuclear weapons added a terrifying potential to the standoff shaping the world at that time. But, as it settled down, it offered categories that made sense to most of the forces shaping and contesting the world order. Our times are very different. Some see similarities with the breakdown of the liberal order in the last decade of the nineteenth century and the first decades of the twentieth. However, as filmmaker David Attenborough put it so starkly when addressing the UN climate summit in Katowice, Poland, in December 2018: 'Right now, we are facing a man-made disaster of global scale, our greatest threat in thousands of years. If we don't take action the collapse of our civilisations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon. ' 1 A world in transition Has politics reached breaking point? Rather than defending liberalism or abandoning it, how can a socially just and ecological alternative be built? Peadar Kirby investigates the causes of our current multifaceted global crisis by drawing on the work of Karl Polanyi. This book explores Polanyi's theory that social disruptions result from the attempt to run society according to the rules of the market. Drawing on these ideas, it outlines pathways towards an alternative future that overcome weaknesses in Marxism. Linking the ecological, political and socio-economic crises, Kirby identifies that an alternative socio-ecological model is emerging, consistent with the insights of Polanyi. Karl Polanyi and the Contemporary Political Crisis is an urgent intervention into key debates on the future of politics, on the low-carbon transition, on automation and on the emerging world order. Has politics reached breaking point? Rather than defending liberalism or turning away from it, how can a society go about building a socialist alternative? In this text, Peader Kirby investigates the causes of our current global crisis, drawing on the work of Karl Polanyi. Kirby explores Polanyi’s theory that social disruptions have been caused by the attempt to run society according to the rules of the market. The author uses these ideas to tackle weaknesses in Marxism and demonstrate how we can build a strong alternative theory. By linking the ecological and socio-economic crises, Kirby highlights how an alternative socio-economic model is emerging, consistent with the insights of Polanyi, which he terms ecosocialism. This text provides an urgent intervention into the key debates surrounding politics, social policy and international relations. Cover Contents List of figures and tables Foreword by President Michael D. Higgins Part 1 Loss of hope 1 A world in transition 2 Understanding the crisis Part 2 An alternative future? 3 Beyond capitalism 4 Mapping an eco-social future Part 3 From commodification to decommodification Introduction to Part Three 5 Fictitious commodities: Land 6 Fictitious commodities: Labour 7 Fictitious commodities: Money Conclusion to Part Three Part 4 Whither and how? 8 Towards a new public philosophy 9 Beyond market society 6.1 Declining taxes, 1970–2012 6.2 Inequality and carbon emissions 1.1 Share of global growth captured by income groups, 1980–2016 2.1 Strength of ultra-right parties in Europe, 2019 6.1 Decommodification index Appendix Notes Bibliography Index "Investigating the causes of our current global crisis by drawing on the work of Karl Polanyi, Peadar Kirby explores Polanyi's theory that social disruptions are caused by the attempt to run society according to the rules of the market. Kirby uses these ideas to tackle weaknesses in Marxism and demonstrate how we can build a strong alternative theory. By linking the ecological and socio-economic crises, Kirby highlights how an alternative socio-economic model is emerging, consistent with the insights of Polanyi, which he terms ecosocialism. This is an urgent intervention into the key debates surrounding politics, social policy and international relations"-- Provided by publisher Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- Chapter 1: A world in transition -- Chapter 2: Understanding the crisis -- Chapter 3: Identifying root causes -- Chapter 4: Mapping a socialist future -- Chapter 5: Fictitious commodities: Land -- Chapter 6: Fictitious commodities: Labour -- Chapter 7: Fictitious commodities: Money -- Chapter 8: Towards a new public philosophy -- Chapter 9: Beyond market society -- Bibliography -- Index