Capitalism and inequality
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 3092178 |
|---|---|
| Authors | B Rehbein (0000-0002-3003-7432, Humboldt-Universität, Germany, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 695-722 |
| Publication date | 2020-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Sociedade e Estado (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0102-6992 • E-ISSN: 1980-5462 |
| Publisher | FapUNIFESP (SciELO) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1590/s0102-6992-202035030002 |
| OpenAlex | W3109665634 |
| SCIELO_PID | S0102-69922020000300695 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 15 |
According to the prevailing opinion, capitalism is a market economy governed by immutable laws and inequality is the result of competition between free and equal individuals on that market. This paper argues that capitalism, as developed in Western Europe in modern times, has more in common with organized crime than with a system of natural laws. It is rooted in the sale of church and common lands, the privatization of finance (especially public debt) and colonialism. However, its purpose is not the accumulation of wealth. It is merely a particular way of sustaining domination by a small group of people over the rest of the population. Domination in capitalism differs from earlier forms of domination in two ways: it is reproduced via the accumulation of wealth and it is not visible as such. Neither the purpose (domination) nor the functioning (systematic appropriation) is visible on the surface. Even Marx was led to believe that the economy is governed by laws which can be studied scientifically. The paper will argue against this belief by tracing the structures of domination to the reproduction of social inequality in capitalist societies
Appropriation · Capitalism · Colonialism · Debt · Economics · Inequality · Market economy · Neoclassical economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Population · Reproduction · Sociology · Economic Theory and Institutions · Finance · Law · Political Economy and Marxism · World Systems and Global Transformations
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,33 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2025 (3) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |