George Liodakis

Crisis, the emerging new stage of capitalism, and the need of a transnational class strategy for social emancipation

In the context of a rapidly globalizing and tightly integrating capitalist economy ushering to a new stage of ‘totalitarian capitalism’, it is argued that the dominant nation-centric approach is theoretically flawed, historically outmoded, and politically ineffective in serving a revolutionary emancipation of the working-class social majority. After a theoretical substantiation of the emerging new stage of capitalism and a brief exploration of the relation between state and revolution, it is stressed that the currently exacerbating crisis of capitalism and the pressing need of social change point to an urgent need for a new transnational strategy pivoted on the capital–labour contradiction, which acquires an increasing significance under present conditions. A first attempt is also made to articulate the basic elements of such a class strategy.

International Division of Labor and Uneven Development: A Review of the Theory and Evidence

This paper attempts to synthesize critically some aspects of the Monthly Review school within an orthodox Marxist theoretical approach. It is argued that the capitalist character of international exchange and of the international division of labor imply a tendency for an increasingly uneven development. The empirical evidence presented shows in fact a growing divergence between developed and underdeveloped capitalist countries and a differentiation in the development performance of underdeveloped countries. Some implications are finally drawn concerning the potential for social change in underdeveloped countries and for the establishment of a new international economic order.

Recent Developments of Totalitarian Capitalism and the Evolving World Order: Some Implications for Social Movements

ABSTRACT Under current circumstances, the lasting and exacerbated crisis of world capitalism, its far-reaching transformations, and intensified socio-political and geopolitical conflicts lead to highly uncertain conditions and an increasing world disorder. After some methodological remarks and a brief analysis of the recent developments of world capitalism, this article more specifically investigates the capital–state relations, and critically considers competing explanations (including imperialism, globalization, empire, transnational and totalitarian capitalism) of the currently evolving world (dis-)order, as well as the urgent search for new forms of global governance. Based on this analysis, an attempt is made to draw some conclusions concerning social movements and struggles for social change.

Finance and Intellectual Property Rights as the Two Pillars of Capitalism Changes

It is hard to overemphasize the significance of technology and innovation in the context of the currently evolving technological revolution and the concurrent fundamental restructuring, ushering in the newly emergent stage of transnational or totalitarian capitalism (see Liodakis, 2005, 2006). In the same way it is also wrong to consider that this revolution of new technologies and the corresponding social restructuring of capitalism is an entirely new and historically unprecedented phenomenon (see Noble, 1977, pp. xxiii-xxiv).

Capital, Economic Growth, and Socio-Ecological Crisis: A Critique of De-Growth

ABSTRACT This paper presents a critique of mainstream growth ideology, as well as of a variety of neo-Malthusian or liberal approaches considering economic growth as an ideology, and “growth economies” as the main culprit of ecological crisis, while disconnecting growth from the prevailing capitalist mode of production. To tackle ecological crisis, they suggest economic de-growth or a steady-state economy, while often projecting the negative impact of economic growth to different forms of production. On the contrary, this paper considers economic growth as an inherent necessity of the capitalist mode of production and explores the socio-ecological conditions of economic growth and capitalist accumulation. With a brief reference to Greece, it is demonstrated that even a protracted recession cannot reverse the trend of environmental degradation and socio-ecological crisis. As argued, overcoming the current crisis requires overcoming not only economic growth, but capitalism itself.