The End of Organized Capitalism

This work argues that - despite Marx's and Weber's insistence that capitalist societies become increasingly more ordered - we now live in an era of ''disorganized capitalism''. The book is devoted to a systematic examination of disorganized capitalism in five Western nations (Britain, the USA, France, West Germany and Sweden). Through the analysis of space, class and culture, the authors portray the restructuring of capitalist social relations that has resulted from this disorganization. They adduce evidence for the claims that in each of the nations there is a movement towards a deconcentration of capital within nation-states; towards the increased separation of banks, industry and the state; and towards the re-distribution of productive relations and class-relevant residential patterns. The authors also show that national disparities in contemporary, disorganized capitalism can be understood through close examination of the extent to which, and mode in which, capitalism became organized in each of the five countries under consideration. This book should interest to undergraduates and professionals in sociology, human geography, economics and economic history.