Synopses & Reviews
In this groundbreaking study of the financial meltdown, renowned radical political economists lay bare the roots of the crisis in the inner logic of capitalism itself. Objective and detailed, this account provocatively challenges the call for a return to a largely mythical golden age of economic regulation as a check on finance capital. In addition, it deftly illuminates how the era of neoliberal free markets has been, in practice, under-girded by state intervention on a massive scale. Arguing for genuinely transformative alternatives to capitalism, and discussing how to build the collective capacity to realize these goals, this record is a critique of the crisis and an indispensable springboard for a renewed political left.
Review
"Leo Panitch has stood out in recent years as one of the socialist intellectuals most fully engaged with political questions, analyzing the problems faced by left-wing parties, trade unions, and other social movements with great clarity." Irish Left Review
Review
"Greg Albo, Sam Gindin, and Leo Panitch provide a perceptive, and persuasive, analysis of the origins of the crisis, arguing that the Left must go beyond the demand for re-regulation, which, they assert, will not solve the economic or environmental crisis, and must instead demand public control of the banks and the financial sector, and of the uses to which finance is put. This is an important book that should be read widely, especially by those hoping to revitalize the Left." Barbara Epstein, professor, UC Santa Cruz
Review
"[Leo Panitch is] a wonderful writer who bridges the disjuncture between theory and political praxis." John C. Berg, government professor, Suffolk University
Review
"Panitchs work is consistently characterized by intelligence, rigor, and commitment." David Abraham, law professor, University of Miami
Review
"The most useful book to come out of the current crisis. I hope it's used to its fullest potential." In These Times
Review
"This brilliant work deserves a wide audience although its theoretical depth often makes it far from an easy read. Starting from the paradox that the financial meltdown has cost the ruling elites their credibility even while the North American Left has remained largely marginal, the authors proceed to challenge a number of widely held misconceptions and then sketch out a strategy for the rebirth of a radical movement." The Labor Studies Journal
Synopsis
Our world is in the grips of the most calamitous economic crisis since the Great Depression--and its epicenter is the imperial United States, where hallowed investment banks have disappeared overnight, giants of industry have gone bankrupt, and the financial order has been shaken to the core.
While many around the globe are increasingly wondering if another world is indeed possible, few are mapping out potential avenues - and flagging wrong turns - en route to a post-capitalist future. In this groundbreaking analysis of the meltdown, renowned radical political economists Albo, Gindin, and Panitch lay bare the roots of the crisis, which they locate in the dynamic expansion of capital on a global scale over the last quarter century--and in the inner logic of capitalism itself.
With an unparalleled understanding of the inner workings of capitalism, the authors of In and Out of Crisis provocatively challenge the call by much of the Left for a return to a largely mythical Golden Age of economic regulation as a check on finance capital unbound. They deftly illuminate how the era of neoliberal free markets has been, in practice, undergirded by state intervention on a massive scale. With clarity and erudition, they argue persuasively that given the current balance of social forces--as bank bailouts around the globe make evident--regulation is not a means of fundamentally reordering power in society, but rather a way of preserving markets.
Contrary to those who believe US hegemony is on the wane, Albo, Gindin, and Panitch contend that the meltdown has, in fact, reinforced the centrality of the American state as the dominant force within global capitalism, while simultaneously increasing the difficulties entailed in managing its imperial role.
In conclusion, the authors argue that it's time to start thinking about genuinely transformative alternatives to capitalism--and how to build the collective capacity to get us there. We should be thinking bigger and preparing to go further. In and Out of Crisis stands to be the enduring critique of the crisis and an indispensable springboard for a renewed Left.
About the Author
Greg Albo and
Leo Panitch are coeditors of the
Socialist Register and professors of political economy at York University in Toronto.
Sam Gindin is the former research director of the Canadian Autoworkers Unions and a professor of political economy at York University. They live in Toronto.