Satoshi Miyamura

Class Struggle or Embedded Markets? Marx, Polanyi and the Meanings and Possibilities of Social Transformation

Marx and Polanyi both held that socialism, in one form or another, was a preferable and possible alternative to capitalism. Their ideas are seen to offer theoretical tools to understand the tensions and contradictions of capitalism, and to inform ways to overcome them. This paper discusses Polanyis work from a Marxist perspective in order to illuminate his strengths and weaknesses. Its main focus is to discuss Polanyis juxtaposing of commodification against exploitation, in diagnosing the problems of capitalist expansion. We suggest that by juxtaposing these two moments, Polanyi not only misses out on a crucial arena of capitalist activity (exploitation), but also undermines his own explication of processes of commodification. This has deleterious consequences for his understanding of the prevalence of poverty under capitalism. It also means that his vision of social transformation and of socialism is profoundly different, and potentially antithetical, to that of Marx. We suggest that for Polanyis conception of de-commodification to gain greater traction it needs to be combined with Marxs analysis of exploitation and class struggle.

Class dynamics of development: a methodological note

Abstract This article argues that class relations are constitutive of development processes and central to understanding inequality within and between countries. Class is conceived as arising out of exploitative social relations of production, but is formulated through and expressed by multiple determinations. The article illustrates and explains the diversity of forms of class relations, and the ways in which they interplay with other social relations of dominance and subordination, such as gender and ethnicity. This is part of a wider project to revitalise class analysis in the study of development problems and experiences.

Emerging Consensus on Labour Market Institutions and Implications for Developing Countries: From the Debates in India

This paper makes a critical intervention to on-going theoretical and policy debates in the economic analysis of labour market institutions (LMIs) in the context of recent debates in India. It focuses on the internal inconsistency of mainstream economic analyses of LMIs, in particular those based on the new institutional economics (NIE) approach, and what appears to be an emerging policy consensus on LMIs within the World Bank and the International Labour Organization (ILO). The paper draws out the possible ideological parallels in these two developments, despite different intellectual origins and intentions of those engaged in these debates. A corresponding modification in policy debates in India is observed in the shifting perspectives from the Second National Commission on Labour (SNCL) to the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS). The apparent emerging consensus in both the theoretical literature and policy debates reveals the tendency for researchers to focus on labour market outcomes and phenomenal forms of LMIs rather than the structures, processes, agencies and relations that underpin them. While this can be seen as an advancement from the traditional distortionist-institutionalist dichotomy, the tendency of this consensus to explain the persistence of seemingly inefficient institutions within the micro-level choice theoretic framework and its appeal to policy agendas on good governance, social capital, trust and civil society, render it vulnerable to appropriation by the mainstream. The paper argues that the emerging consensus on LMIs is an inadequate framework to inform effective policy propositions, and highlights the scope and opportunity for a political economy alternative.

Rethinking labour market institutions in Indian industry: forms, functions and socio-historical contexts

The emerging literature on institutional functionalism opens opportunities for historically and socially sensitive analysis of institutions, especially if it is complemented by a material understanding of institutions and their location within the wider social structure. This paper engages constructively with the ‘credibility’ thesis in institutional economics by developing an alternative materialist conception of labour market institutions (LMIs), and applies it to the debates on the Indian industry. Empirical observations collected from field research in various industrial sites in India show that changes to institutional forms have almost always involved labour unrest and conflict, but not always in accordance with the alleged form–function relations. The credibility thesis opens a way for debates on LMIs to move away from the central focus on their forms by evaluating the extent to which institutions are contested within specific socio-historical contexts. Also, the alternative conception suggests that labour, capital and the state may have perspectives on functions of LMIs that may not always coincide, which relate to different types of development. This is of particular interest in the context of India where the on-going policy debates on labour market reforms have primarily focused on ‘form’ variables. The implication is that the ongoing debates in India focusing on policies that attempt to engineer changes to forms of LMIs may be misguided and ineffective.

Diverse trajectories of industrial restructuring and labour organising in India

Abstract It is often claimed that industrial restructuring leads to diminished roles for trade unionism and other forms of labour organisations by informalising employment and relocating production. Drawing on selected case studies from long-term fieldwork in regions of India, this article shows that trajectories of industrial restructuring and the responses by organised labour over the past two decades have been diverse. It is argued that the diverse response not only reflects structural opportunities and constraints for labour to be organised in particular ways, but also different histories and experiences of labour association. Contrary to the presumption about the general demise of trade unionism and the apparent unattainability of class solidarity in contemporary globalised capitalism, it is observed that India’s labour movement is experiencing a degree of resurgence, and new forms of labour organisations and activism are emerging, especially involving informal workers in the formal sector. That these innovative forms of mobilisation are shaped by experiences and aspirations that do not conform to the established institutionalised frameworks for dispute resolution has important policy and political implications.

Rebels from the mud houses: Dalits and the making of the Maoist revolution in Bihar

the authors had elaborated on the findings in relation to Scheduled Tribes. Although the chapter on urban governance is a much-needed and timely contribution, it would benefit from more detailed analysis or being published separately. The book would also have benefited from an index at the end. On balance, New lamps for old is a very useful and well-researched contribution that helps keep readers abreast with the ongoing debate on the role of gender and politics in local government.