A Commodified World?: Mapping the Limits of CapitalismThis book 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. |
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Contents
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 |
Beyond the Advanced Economies | 154 |
1o 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 |
References | 277 |
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Common terms and phrases
2ooo 2ooob activity advanced economies affluent populations approach 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 domestic dual society economic development economic plurality employee mutual engage in non-commodified European Commission evaluated example formal employment formal labour formal sphere full engagement Gorz higher-income informal initiatives labour market laissez-faire marginalized populations means of livelihood meta-narrative monetized exchange motive nations neighbourhoods neoliberal non-commodified economic practices non-commodified realm non-commodified sphere non-exchanged non-market non-monetized exchange not-for-profit option organization paid participation in non-commodified penetration plural economies post-development production profit profit-motivated pursuing recognized result revealed rural sector self-provisioning social relations socio-economic groups studies subsistence Table tasks tax credit third sector tion trajectory of economic transition economies unemployed uneven unpaid urban volunteering Williams and Windebank women workfare