The Golden Age of Capitalism: Reinterpreting the Postwar Experience (Wider Studies in Development Economics) [Paperback]

Stephen A. Marglin (Editor), Juliet B. Schor (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 30, 1992 | ISBN-10: 0198287410 | ISBN-13: 978-0198287414

The period after World War Two, with its sustained growth and high employment rate, has been referred to as the "golden age" of capitalism. Blending historical analysis with economic theory, this work presents essays that scrutinize the institutions that fostered this growth and high employment as well as the forces which later undermined the effectiveness of these institutions in the 1960s and 70s. The authors discuss the evolution of the historical background, the macroeconomic structure, the international order, the systems of production, as well as the "rules of coordination." They use this to show that the golden age, like other historical epochs, must be understood as a series of interacting institutions--all operating in different areas, but sometimes interlocking with one another and crucial to an intelligent analysis of a critical period in the American experience. Contributors include A. Glyn, A. Hughes, A. Lipietz, A. Singh, G. Epstein, J. Schor, S. Marglin, A. Bhaduri, S. Bowles, R. Boyer, R. Rowthorn, and M. Aoki.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This interesting and important volume results from a fruitful superimposition of macroeconomics and institutional/historical lenses....[T]he book achieves a coherence of vision and analysis atypical of such volumes."--Journal of Economic Literature

"This collection of provocative essays...will be important to anyone seeking an alternative to a pure laissez-faire approach."--Choice

About the Author

Stephen A. Marglin and Juliet B. Schor are both at Harvard University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 344 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (January 30, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198287410
• ISBN-13: 978-0198287414
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,442,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Juliet B. Schor's research has focused on the economics of work, spending, environment, and the consumer culture. She is the author of Born to Buy, The Overworked American, and The Overspent American. Schor is a professor of sociology at Boston College, a former member of the Harvard economics department, and a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient. She is also a cofounder of the Center for a New American Dream, an organization devoted to ecologically and socially sustainable lifestyles.