Capitalism & Crisis
The decline of money
01 Mar 2012
If we are to understand the present crisis we need to grasp the decaying relationship between money, production and value. Hillel Ticktin discusses the growth of fictitious capital and impossibility of getting money to make money
Dialectic of transition
30 Oct 2025
A Marxist political economy that assumes endless capital accumulation and crisis, until at some point the system breaks down in a final crisis, makes the mistake of conflating capital with capitalism, argues Peter Kennedy
Where next for global capital?
30 Oct 2025
Creative destruction is meant to cleanse the system of obsolete technology and failing and unprofitable capital. In their place new innovatory firms would prosper, boosting the productivity of labour and delivering more value. There is, though, as Michael Roberts notes, a problem
Gold goes sky high
23 Oct 2025
Under classical capitalism, gold served as the universal commodity. But those days have long gone. So what lies behind the surge in the price of gold? Michael Roberts investigates
Intangibles rely on tangibles
28 Aug 2025
Do we live in a capitalist world without capital, where intellectual property is more important than steel, cement and copper cables? Michael Roberts is not convinced
Class composition in a snapshot
28 Aug 2025
Britain is a very large offshore financial centre with a moderately sized productive economy attached to it. What does this mean for class and class consciousness? Mike Macnair completes his two-part study
Development or debt
10 Jul 2025
Trump did not bother sending anyone to the Seville development conference. Meanwhile, says Michael Roberts, the gap between rich and poor countries remains unchanged, and with aid cuts and growing debts billions face poverty, ill health and an avoidable death
Full pay restoration
12 Jun 2025
Will resident doctors vote for another round of pay strikes? Richard Galen looks at the complex issues involved in the upcoming membership ballot
Bancor and trade imbalances
12 Jun 2025
Can massive surpluses and massive deficits be ironed out by the simple device of yet another international bureaucracy? Michael Roberts pours scorn on the idea
No anarcho-capitalist quick-fix
01 May 2025
Milei came to power promising to transform the Argentinian economy. He has overseen high unemployment, great poverty levels and the granting of more loans. But, says Michael Roberts, the IMF is happy
Capitalism with Chinese characteristics
10 Apr 2025
The US-China trade war has seen both tit-for-tat tariffs and a strategic attempt to shift away from any reliance on the American market. Yassamine Mather gives her take on current dilemmas and the socio‑economic nature of the People’s Republic
Still riding high
13 Mar 2025
Despite all the mainstream expectations, China has not sunk into recession. The reason, argues Michael Roberts, is the economic plan, which guides both state and private enterprises. But what can it do about those US tariffs?
Struggles in the cathedral
06 Mar 2025
Overproduction in the knowledge economy, zero-hour contracts and a funding crisis. Peter Kennedy puts his faith in ‘transitional demands’ and breaking the labour movement from the chimerical aim of ‘advancing human capital’
Just a dash of insurrection
27 Feb 2025
Pat Taylor reviews Daniel Fish, Elektra, Duke of York’s Theatre, London, until April 12
Recipe for looming crash
20 Feb 2025
Low or zero growth and rising prices. There’s more than a whiff of stagflation in the air, warns Michael Roberts
Fake plastic bungalows
20 Feb 2025
Government plans to solve the housing crisis by building ‘new towns’ are likely to fail - private ownership of this essential human need is the true problem, argues Paul Demarty