Books & ideas

What Political Economy for Science?

Brice Laurent — 2023-12-26T08:30:00Z

By putting forward an analysis of the historical depths of the bonds connecting science to capitalism, Gabriel Galvez-Behar's book opens up stimulating research perspectives for a critical analysis of the political economy of knowledge.

The Rising Invisible Majority

Alessandro Arrigoni & Emanuele Ferragina — 2021-03-01T08:00:00Z

A period of political and economic turmoil calls for a new analytical framework to be developed. Drawing upon the tools of social science and fiction, the “Rising Invisible Majority” project examines how the shifts of a long-term political economy rendered a large share of its population ‘invisible'.

The Government Under Attack

Gianfranco Poggi — 2017-02-23T08:00:00Z

Analyzing the reasons for the loss of momentum of the American economy, this in-depth study reveals how the evolution of mixed economy in the United States has led to a crisis of the political power.

Debating Inequalities : Transatlantic Perspectives

Editorial Team & Lucie Campos & Caitlin Zaloom — 2014-11-03T11:35:28Z

In this virtual roundtable published in partnership with Public Books, four participants from France, Germany and the US re-visit the inequalities debate sparked by Thomas Piketty's Capital, comparing perceptions of income, economic equality and political economy.

Stay classy, Piketty

Erik Olin Wright — 2014-11-03T11:21:00Z

In the first text of our “Debating Inequalities” series published in partnership with Public Books, Erik Olin Wright brings a North American perspective to Thomas Piketty's Capital in the Twenty-First Century.

How the Indians Conquered the West

Thomas Grillot — 2014-01-20T08:00:00Z

The challenge of going beyond the national narrative has occupied historians for decades. When applied to North America, it has turned our understanding of historical events such as the “Conquest of the West” upside down. Through an examination of the history of the Comanches, a Finnish historian is pushing this reversal of perspectives as far as it can go, in order to highlight the power that was in the hands of the indigenous people when they came face-to-face with the Europeans.

Europe's Social Dimension

Michel Lallement — 2013-03-04T08:00:00Z

Jean-Claude Barbier presents us with a way of looking at the construction of Europe, concentrating on Europe's social regime, which he reminds us is not really on a par with its economic regime. His recent book on this subject, now available in English, is a methodological reflection on comparison and on the role of cultures.

Billionaires: Oligarchy within Democracy?

Peter Hägel — 2012-10-26T07:23:57Z

Political scientist Jeffrey Winters argues that oligarchy is timeless, but varying in its forms. For him, the political power of billionaires in democracies represents a transformation towards “civil oligarchy”. But his exclusive focus on “wealth defense” may oversimplify and underestimate the real influence of the moneyed few.

From Scholar to Official

Émilie Frenkiel — 2010-12-06T09:31:19Z

An interview with a Chinese political scientist trained in American universities gives us an insight into China's pragmatic policy of local experimentation. It chronicles how officials in the municipality of Chongqing have seized the opportunity offered by its special status to launch a unique blend of liberal and socialist economic policy.