This book explains the inherent contradictions of Marxist economic theory and how they became apparent when the theory was applied in practice. It introduces the main theories and authors of Marxist economic thought, explores its implementation in the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China, and offers a comparative analysis of the main distinctive features of socialist and capitalist economic systems. In turn, the book provides answers to the following questions: What has happened to the "socialist reality" and why has it become unacceptable for society? What are the causes of the collapse of the socialist economic system? This book appeals to scholars and students of economics and anyone interested in Marxist economic thinking and the practice of socialism.

This Companion takes stock of the trajectory, achievements, shortcomings and prospects of Marxist political economy. It reflects the contributors' shared commitment to bringing the methods, theories and concepts of Marx himself to bear across a wide range of topics and perspectives, and it provides a testimony to the continuing purpose and vitality of Marxist political economy. As a whole, this volume analyzes Marxist political economy in three areas: the critique of mainstream economics in all of its versions; the critical presence of Marxist political economy within, and its influence upon, each of the social science disciplines; and, cutting across these, the analysis of specific topics that straddle disciplinary boundaries. Some of the contributions offer an exposition of basic concepts, accessible to the general reader, laying out Marx's own contribution, its significance, and subsequent positions and debates with and within Marxist political economy. The authors offer assessments of historical developments to and within capitalism, and of its current character and prospects. Other chapters adopt a mirror-image approach of pinpointing the conditions of contemporary capitalism as a way of interrogating the continuing salience of Marxist analysis. This volume will inform and inspire a new generation of students and scholars to become familiar with Marxist political economy from an enlightened and unprejudiced position, and to use their knowledge as both a resource and gateway to future study.

The Economics Book clearly and simply explains more than one hundred groundbreaking ideas in economics, from the earliest experiences of trade to global economic crises. Using easy-to-follow graphics and artworks, succinct quotations, and thoroughly accessible text, The Economics Book makes abstract concepts of money and trade concrete. The Economics Book includes innovative ideas from the history of economics, from Thomas Aquinas' rules of markets and morality to Jeffrey Sachs' theories on international debt relief. Learn about the earliest ideas in economics, such as property rights and the function of money, and progress to present-day economic thought, from explanations on economic bubbles to the relationship between economics and the environment. The Economics Book includes: - More than 100 key ideas and principles in economic thought, from antiquity to present day - Brief biographies and context boxes to give the full historical context of each idea - A reference section with a glossary of economic terms and a directory of economic thinkers The clear and concise summaries, graphics, and quotations in The Economics Book will help even the complete novice understand the fascinating world of economic thought.

All your complicated economic questions and theories explained by world experts. Economics is a broad topic and if you're not an economist by profession, your knowledge might be limited - until now! The Economics Book is your jargon-free, visual guide to understanding the production and distribution of wealth. Using a combination of authoritative, clear text, and bold graphics, this encyclopedia explores and explains big questions and issues that affect us all - everything from taxation, to recession, to the housing market and much more! By following an innovative visual approach, The Economics Bookdemystifies and untangles complicated theories. Make sense of abstract concepts through colourful graphics, fun facts, and step-by-step flow diagrams. Satisfy Your Hunger for Knowledge Dive deeper into the history of economics with this page-turning book! From the ancient Greeks to today, you'll discover over 100 key ideas from the world's greatest theorists, such as Thomas Malthus, John Maynard Keynes, and Milton Friedman. Fortunately, you don't need a degree in economics to gain this type of understanding. The Economics Book is your accessible guide to gaining tonnes of invaluable economic knowledge and learning how the economy shapes our world! This book will be your guide through the history of economics: - Let the Trading Begin 400 BCE - 1770 CE - The Age of Reason 1770 - 1820 - Industrial and Economic Revolutions 1820 - 1929 - War and Depressions: 1929 - 1945 - Post-War Economics 1945 - 1970 - Contemporary Economics 1970 - Present The Series Simply Explained With over 7 million copies sold worldwide to date, The Economics Book is part of the award-winning Big Ideas series from DK Books. It uses innovative graphics along with engaging writing to make complex subjects easier to understand.

A decade and a half ago John Bellamy Foster and Paul Burkett introduced a new, revolutionary understanding of the ecological foundations of Marx’s thought, demonstrating that Marx’s concepts of the universal metabolism of nature, social metabolism, and metabolic rift prefigured much of modern systems ecology. Ecological relations were shown to be central to Marx’s critique of capitalism, including his value analysis. Now in Marx and the Earth Foster and Burkett expand on this analysis in the process of responding to recent ecosocialist criticisms of Marx. The result is a full-fledged anti-critique—pointing to the crucial roles that dialectics, open-system thermodynamics, intrinsic value, and aesthetic understandings played in the original Marxian critique, holding out the possibility of a new red-green synthesis.

CONTENTS: Introduction - Labour, Necessary product, Surplus Product - Exchange, Commodity, Value - Money, Capital, Surplus-value - The Development of Capital - The Contradictions of Capitalism - Trade - Credit - Money - Agriculture- Reproduction and the Growth of National Income - Periodical Crises - Monopoly Capitalism - Imperialism - The Epoch of Capitalist Decline - The Soviet Economy - The Economy of the Transition Period - Socialist Economy - Origin, Rise and Withering Away of Political Economy- Bibliography - Index

In spite of its numerous obvious failures, many presidential candidates and voters are in favor of a socialist system for the United States. Socialism is consistent with our primitive evolved preferences, but not with a modern complex economy. One reason for the desire for socialism is the misinterpretation of capitalism. The standard definition of free market capitalism is that it’s a system based on unbridled competition. But this oversimplification is incredibly misleading—capitalism exists because human beings have organically developed an elaborate system based on trust and collaboration that allows consumers, producers, distributors, financiers, and the rest of the players in the capitalist system to thrive. Paul Rubin, the world’s leading expert on cooperative capitalism, explains simply and powerfully how we should think about markets, economics, and business—making this book an indispensable tool for understanding and communicating the vast benefits the free market bestows upon societies and individuals.

Marx's economic theories 200 years after his birth in 1818. Marx's main ideas about the development of capitalism as the dominant mode of social organisation globally. And the critics of Marx's ideas over the last 150 years. Finally whether Marx's predictions about the future of capitalism have been and will prove to be right.