by Michael Mann
First published 2013
Does Capitalism Have a Future? brings together five leading scholars to examine whether our economic system can endure. They challenge the widespread belief that capitalism has no viable alternatives. The authors reject the nineteenth-century notion that history progresses inevitably toward liberal capitalist equilibrium. They point out that all major historical systems eventually collapse. The modern era has witnessed several catastrophic breakdowns when political leaders miscalculated the forces they tried to control: the French Revolution, World War I, and the Soviet Union's fall. Today's governing classes and most intellectuals cannot imagine systemic collapse occurring soon. The five contributors reach different conclusions but engage in ongoing conversation throughout the book. They create a unified yet open-ended analysis. These globally respected scholars of historical patterns tackle a crucial question: are we approaching a fundamental shift in world history?
Genres: political-science, sociology, economics, non-fiction, 21st-century, academic
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: academic-debate, challenging-assumptions
Period: 21st-century
240 pages · Kindle Edition · Oxford University Press