Ben Fine

Since it first appeared in 1975, Ben Fine's introductory account of Capital has become the most popular text of its kind, used widely across the social sciences and also read by a wider audience. Its translation into several languages and its frequent reprinting is testimony to the role it has played in serving the growing interest in Marxist economics. The third edition has been substantially revised and expanded to include discussion of controversial areas, such as the transformation problem, falling profitability, rent theory and the theory of interest.

'This expert guide to the political economy of Marx's Capital has always been the very best available' – David Harvey Whether you are a student of economics, a political activist, or merely trying to make sense of a world in upheaval, Marx’s Capital is a beginner’s guide to one of the most influential and eye-opening critiques of capitalism. In today’s world of deep inequality, recurring financial meltdowns, and the climate crisis, understanding Marx’s ideas is more important than ever, but reading him alone can be daunting. In this updated seventh edition, Ben Fine and Alfredo Saad-Filho strip away the jargon, guiding readers through the essential pillars of Marxian political economy: from the Labour Theory of Value and the secret of Primitive Accumulation to the internal contradictions that trigger systemic crises and potentially lead to revolution. With new chapters on: Neoliberalism – and how it has evolved, alongside its new political forms and emerging technologies Climate Change – and how the profit imperative inevitably destabilises the planet's ecology World Economy – and how to locate nation-states within the evolving global order

The reasons for South Africa’s full and rapid post-apartheid embrace of neoliberal economic policy remain controversial. Drawing on the author’s own participation in policy debates, this volume shows that alternative paths were either dismissed or never even considered. Explanations for policy failings have to be sought in determinants such as globalization, financialization, capital flight, corporate restructuring and Black Economic Empowerment. The text offers extensive surveys of relevant literature including the developmental state, industrial and social policy, privatization, trade policy, the Harvard School, comparative experience and the deficiencies in the country’s National Development Plan and New Growth Path.

Drawing from research across five countries, this book presents a comprehensive theoretical and empirical account of the social impact of financialisation. Through case studies on housing, water, and health, Ben Fine traces the effects of financialisation on economic and social reproduction, alongside the corresponding material cultures of neoliberalism. Economic is understood as embedded within social reproduction, with neoliberalism, as the current stage of capitalism, fundamentally underpinned by, but not reducible to, the financialisation of everyday life. Considerable emphasis is placed upon the variegated outcomes attached to the neoliberalisation of social reproduction, as highlighted by the comparative study of economic and social provisioning across different countries and sectors.

In Cliometrics as Economics Imperialism, Ben Fine traces the cliometric revolution, from before its emergence through three phases of the new, the newer and the newest economic history. These phases are shown to correspond to those of "economics imperialism", the colonisation of topics and fields by mainstream economics, moving successively through disciplines as if they were perfectly working markets. The text draws upon case studies, for example of the putative eighteenth-century consumer revolution, Douglass North, path dependence, and the British coal industry, and through exposing the reduction of economic theory and economic history deployed within them and giving rise to a corresponding reduction in the presence of the social, the historical and political economy.

In Economics Imperialism and Interdisciplinarity: The Watershed and After, visionary economist Ben Fine selects and adds to his key articles tracking economics imperialism through three phases, with a special focus on the last decade of the third phase—anything goes as with freakonomics. Each article is accompanied by a preamble that sets the context in which it appeared, providing an overall introduction that draws out the lasting significance for contemporary scholarship. This volume ranges over mainstream and heterodox economics, the disputes between them, the relationship between economics and other disciplines, and discusses authors such as Edward Lazear, Joseph Stiglitz and George Akerlof. Through careful analysis the accelerating presence of economics imperialism is documented alongside its perverse, critical neglect. Economics Imperialism and Interdisciplinarity is imperative for those engaging in political economy across the social sciences.

In Economics Imperialism and Interdisciplinarity: Before the Watershed, visionary economist Ben Fine offers a selection of his key articles charting the rise of economics imperialism. Each article is accompanied by a preamble that sets the context in which it appeared, providing an overall introduction that draws out the lasting significance for contemporary scholarship. Ranging over mainstream and heterodox economics, the disputes between them, the relationship between economics and other disciplines, and thinkers as diverse as Kuhn, Becker and Bourdieu, the collection offers a unique and compelling account of how mainstream economics has both changed dramatically while its core and narrow principles have remained as sacrosanct as they are invalid. Economics Imperialism is imperative for those engaging in political economy across the social sciences.

John Weeks (1941-2020) was one of the most prominent Marxist economists of his generation. His writings inspired many activists and socialist economists around the world. This book brings together a selection of his writings engaging with and developing the Marxist tradition. These essays examine theoretical issues, directly building on Karl Marx's work, as well as practical and political issues, engaging with transformative and revolutionary activity. The essays included in this book are now made available to a new generation of critics of capitalism.

The Salsa King of Scarsdale tells the half-comic, half-tragic story of Ira Brodsky's transformation from a successful gynecologist and wealthy suburban family man to the king of Scarsdale; a man who speaks his evenings at the Audobon ballroom.

The year is 1560, the Inquisition in Madrid has turned on the conversos in Al-Andalus, and the Benzions must flee to their holdings in Palermo. Don Miguel Benzion, a former Captain in the employ of the Duke of Sienna, and the son of a wealthy converso family in Granada, Spain must sell the family business before he is trapped by the inquisition and is forced to flee to Cuba. On the voyage to Cuba, Don Miguel meets the lovely and vivacious Senorita Imelda, who tames this famous swordsman and becomes the love of his life. Once in Cuba, they are forced once again to flee, this time to Mexico. In the Gulf of Mexico, they are captured by pirates, led by the madman Jerusalem, who's ultimate goal is to recapture Palestine. To save his friends, his family, and his love, Miguel throws his lot in with the pirates. While the pirates end up defeated by the Spanish on the southern coast of Sicily, Don Miguel manages to escape. Can Don Miguel make it to Palermo to reunite with his family? Will the local mafiosi be sympathetic to his plight or will they be yet another obstacle? Will Miguel ever find his Imelda, or will he be too late?

When Eddie Lieb, a bar pianist and retired professor has a chance argument with small-time racketeer FrankDevito and a young dancer named Arnold he is drawn into a dangerous political conspiracy that threatens to topple the federalgovernment. The Lazarus Operation concerns the unraveling of a major political conspiracy as seen through the eyes of two ordinary citizens, Eddie Lieb and Fred Giammatti. Lieb is a recovering alcoholic, formerly a professor of chemistry and now working as a bar pianist. Through a chance encounter with the son of a right-wing presidential candidate and a small-time racketeer he becomes embroiled in a big-time political plot. Unable to do anything himself he turns to Fred Giammatti a middle-aged political columnist for the New York Times who was a friend of Lieb's father, Gus Lieb a retired sportswriter. Giammatti, aided by his prot g e reporter Ted Laszko and his friend Detective Al Seidenberg, slowly uncovers the plot by a powerful collection of religious zealots who have managed to infiltrate all levels of the federal bureaucracy. Peopled by dangerous assassins and an assortment of quirky people including the President and Vice President the story builds to a crackling conclusion that eventually vindicates the American spirit.

Understanding consumption requires looking at the systems by which goods and services are provided – not just how they are produced but the historically evolved structures, power relations and cultures within which they are located. The Systems of Provision approach provides an interdisciplinary framework for unpacking these complex issues. This book provides a comprehensive account of the Systems of Provision approach, setting out core concepts and theoretical origins alongside numerous case studies. The book combines fresh understandings of everyday consumption using examples from food, housing, and water, with implications for society’s major challenges, including inequality, climate change, and prospects for capitalism. Readers do not require prior knowledge across the subject matter covered but the text remains significant for accomplished researchers and policymakers, especially those interested in the messy real world realities underpinning who gets what, how,and why across public and private provision in global, national, and historical contexts.

The year is 1560, the Inquisition in Madrid has turned on the conversos in Al-Andalus, and the Benzions must flee to their holdings in Palermo. Don Miguel Benzion, a former Captain in the employ of the Duke of Sienna, and the son of a wealthy converso family in Granada, Spain must sell the family business before he is trapped by the Inquisition and is forced to flee to Cuba. On the voyage to Cuba, Don Miguel meets the lovely and vivacious Senorita Imelda, who tames this famous swordsman and becomes the love of his life. Once in Cuba, they are forced once again to flee, this time to Mexico. In the Gulf of Mexico, they are captured by pirates, led by the madman Jerusalem, whose ultimate goal is to recapture Palestine. To save his friends, his family, and his love, Miguel throws his lot in with the pirates. While the pirates end up defeated by the Spanish on the southern coast of Sicily, Don Miguel manages to escape. Can Don Miguel make it to Palermo to reunite with his family? Will the local mafiosi be sympathetic to his plight or will they be yet another obstacle? Will Miguel ever find his Imelda, or will he be too late?

The year is 1560, the Inquisition in Madrid has turned on the conversos in Al-Andalus, and the Benzions must flee to their holdings in Palermo. Don Miguel Benzion, a former Captain in the employ of the Duke of Sienna, and the son of a wealthy converso family in Granada, Spain must sell the family business before he is trapped by the inquisition and is forced to flee to Cuba. On the voyage to Cuba, Don Miguel meets the lovely and vivacious Senorita Imelda, who tames this famous swordsman and becomes the love of his life. Once in Cuba, they are forced once again to flee, this time to Mexico. In the Gulf of Mexico, they are captured by pirates, led by the madman Jerusalem, who's ultimate goal is to recapture Palestine. To save his friends, his family, and his love, Miguel throws his lot in with the pirates. While the pirates end up defeated by the Spanish on the southern coast of Sicily, Don Miguel manages to escape. Can Don Miguel make it to Palermo to reunite with his family? Will the local mafiosi be sympathetic to his plight or will they be yet another obstacle? Will Miguel ever find his Imelda, or will he be too late?

'This expert guide to the political economy of Marx's Capital has always been the very best available' - David Harvey This brilliantly concise book is the classic companion to Karl Marx's most well-known work, Capital. In print now for over a quarter of a century, and translated into many languages, this new edition has been fully revised and updated, making it an ideal modern introduction to one of the most important texts in political and economic thought today. The authors cover all central aspects of Marx's economics. They explain the structure of Marx's analysis and the meaning of the key categories in Capital, showing the internal coherence of Marx's approach, and their relevance today. Marx's method and terminology are explored in detail, with supporting examples. Short chapters set out the significance of Marx's main concepts and can be grasped easily, making it a practical text for anyone with an interest in understanding Marx's magnum opus. Discussing Capital's relevance today, the authors keep abstract theorising to a minimum. This readable introduction highlights the continuing relevance of Marx's ideas in the light of the problems of contemporary capitalism.

'This expert guide to the political economy of Marx's Capital has always been the very best available' - David Harvey This brilliantly concise book is the classic companion to Karl Marx's most well-known work, Capital. In print now for over a quarter of a century, and translated into many languages, this new edition has been fully revised and updated, making it an ideal modern introduction to one of the most important texts in political and economic thought today. The authors cover all central aspects of Marx's economics. They explain the structure of Marx's analysis and the meaning of the key categories in Capital, showing the internal coherence of Marx's approach, and their relevance today. Marx's method and terminology are explored in detail, with supporting examples. Short chapters set out the significance of Marx's main concepts and can be grasped easily, making it a practical text for anyone with an interest in understanding Marx's magnum opus. Discussing Capital's relevance today, the authors keep abstract theorising to a minimum. This readable introduction highlights the continuing relevance of Marx's ideas in the light of the problems of contemporary capitalism.

Macroeconomics is your guide to how economics shape how the world functions today. But too often our understanding is based on orthodox, dogmatic analysis. This distinctive book draws upon years of critical questioning and teaching and exposes how macroeconomic theory has evolved from its origins to its current impoverished and extreme state. Moving from the Keynesian Revolution to the Monetarist Counter-Revolution, through to New Classical Economics and New Consensus Macroeconomics, the authors both elaborate and question the methods and content of macroeconomic theory at a level appropriate for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Macroeconomics provides a unique alternative to the multitude of standard textbooks by locating macroeconomic theory in its own history. It will be perfect for those studying macroeconomics, as well as for those looking for a new way to understand our increasingly complicated economic system. It is accompanied by a counterpart Microeconomics: A Critical Companion.

Macroeconomics is your guide to how economics shape how the world functions today. But too often our understanding is based on orthodox, dogmatic analysis. This distinctive book draws upon years of critical questioning and teaching and exposes how macroeconomic theory has evolved from its origins to its current impoverished and extreme state. Moving from the Keynesian Revolution to the Monetarist Counter-Revolution, through to New Classical Economics and New Consensus Macroeconomics, the authors both elaborate and question the methods and content of macroeconomic theory at a level appropriate for both undergraduate and postgraduate studies. Macroeconomics provides a unique alternative to the multitude of standard textbooks by locating macroeconomic theory in its own history. It will be perfect for those studying macroeconomics, as well as for those looking for a new way to understand our increasingly complicated economic system. It is accompanied by a counterpart Microeconomics: A Critical Companion.