Social Structures of Accumulation: The Political Economy of Growth and Crisis

Description

The social structure of accumulation (SSA) approach seeks to explain the long-term fortunes of capitalist economies in terms of the effect of political and economic institutions on growth rates. This book offers an ideal introduction to this powerful tool for understanding capitalist growth, analysing the social and economic differences between countries and the reasons for the successes and failures of institutional reform. The contributors cover a wide range of topics, including the theoretical basis of the SSA approach, the postwar financial system, Marxian and Keynesian theories of economic crisis, labour-management relations, race and gender issues, and the history of institutional innovation. Combining newly written essays with classic articles of the SSA school, the book examines the international economy and the economies of Japan, South Africa, and Puerto Rico, as well as the United States.

"...a valuable resource for graduate students and advanced undergraduates who can use it as a quick introduction to this perspective...[S]ociologists should see this book as an invitation to participate with SSA scholars in an ongoing multidisciplinary conversation that seeks to understand our current situation within a broader political economic framework." Fred Block, Contemporary Sociology "For those interested in learning about the SSA approach, this book is a must read. It simultaneously covers the area in a comprehensive fashion and sheds much new light on the topic. For those of us whose research was shaped by that of David Gordon, Social Structures of Accumulation represents more than just a useful book." Robert Drago, Review of Social Economy