A Commodified World: Mapping the Limits of CapitalismA Commodified World critiques the notion that in Late Capitalism all economic relations become always ever more commodified, while 'non-capitalist' activities disappear. It demonstrates that a combination of new 'cultures of resistance' all constrain this tendency or even threaten to reverse it. Colin Williams finds that, even in the advanced economies, a non-commodified realm persists that is as large as the commodified sphere and growing relative to it. He draws on extensive empirical evidence of trends and new patterns of economic activity – including changes in women's participation, differences between wealthy and poor urban areas, and between urban and rural sectors. He explores non-commodified practices of resistance. And he concludes that governments and communities, by de-coupling production and consumption from the commodified realm, could open up alternative development paths. |
Contents
Argument of the Book | 7 |
The Commodification Thesis | 13 |
Subsistence Work | 31 |
Nonmonetized Exchange | 48 |
NotforProfit Monetized Exchange | 63 |
Socioeconomic Disparities | 85 |
The Uneven Geographies of Commodification | 112 |
Gender and Commodification | 135 |
Towards a Commodified World | 183 |
employed out of choice | 197 |
Doing Nothing | 201 |
Fostering Plural Economies | 216 |
Cultivating Work beyond the Commodity Economy | 241 |
1 A comprehensive tax credit framework | 264 |
Conclusions | 268 |
| 291 | |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
activity advanced economies affluent populations alternative means analysed and/or argued barriers to participation basic income capital capitalist cash-in-hand cent chapter commodification thesis commodified realm commodified sphere commodified world commodity economy conducted coping practices cultures of resistance decommodification discourse dual society economic development economic plurality employee mutual employment participation rate engage in non-commodified European Commission evaluated example formal employment full engagement Gorz informal initiatives jobless households laissez-faire laissez-faire approach marginalized populations means of livelihood monetary monetized exchange motive mutual aid nations neighbourhoods neoliberal non-commodified economic practices non-commodified realm non-commodified sphere non-exchanged non-monetized exchange not-for-profit OECD organization paid participation in non-commodified penetration plural economies post-development production profit profit-motivated pursuing recognized result revealed scheme seeking self-provisioning social networks socio-economic groups subsistence Table tasks tax credit third sector third-way tion trajectory of economic transition economies unemployed uneven unpaid urban volunteering Williams and Windebank women workfare