Sraffa and Althusser Reconsidered: Neoliberalism Advancing in South Africa, England, and Greece (Research in Political Economy Book 29)

This volume examines the recent advance of neoliberalism. It focuses on three current instances of neoliberalism from around the world as well as providing an in-depth study of Sraffa's works; a critique of Althusser's interpretation of Marxist philosophy, and a discussion of labor aristocracy. This volume examines the recent advance of neoliberalism. The volume begins with a very extensive study of the archives of Piero Sraffa, which suggests the importance of Marx's influence on his work. The following chapters address the recent multifaceted advance of neoliberalism, with a focus on three current instances. Firstly, suggesting uneven development as in Rosa Luxemburg. South African multi-billion dollar investments in two fossil-fuel projects have recently cemented debtor relations to the World Bank and the Chinese Development Bank, while generating activist opposition in this era of climate crisis. A second instance focuses on secondary school teachers in England whose work load is not only increasing but also increasingly commodified and judged, a development that represents the penetration of abstract labor and alienation, as in Marx. The third example examines the credit bubbles in Greece, noting them as an example of the progency of fictitious capital. The remaining chapters include a critique of Althusser's interpretation of the Marxist philosophy of science, and a continued discussion regarding the concept of a labor aristocracy, engaging the work of Zak Cope. Crisis as Unexpected Transition . . . To a Greed-Based Economic System / Wladimir Andreff -- Did Gold Remain Relevant in the Post-1971 International Monetary System? / Jean-Guy Loranger -- Global Wage Scaling and Left Ideology: A Critique of Charles Post on the 'Labour Aristocracy' / Zak Cope -- Unpaid Reproductive Labour: A Marxist Analysis / Cecilia Beatriz Escobar Meléndez -- Value Theory and Finance / Tony Norfield -- Of Fat Cats and Fat Tails: From the Financial Crisis to the 'New' Probabilistic Marxism / Julian Wells -- Does Investment Call the Tune? Empirical Evidence and Endogenous Theories of the Business Cycle / José A. Tapia Granados -- Product Innovation and Capital Accumulation: An Attempt to Introduce Neo-Schumpeterian Insights into Marxian Economics / Jie Meng