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Profit and Gift in the Digital Economy Reprint Edition

by Dave Elder-Vass (Author)

5.0 5 ratings

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Our economy is neither overwhelmingly capitalist, as Marxist political economists argue, nor overwhelmingly a market economy, as mainstream economists assume. Both approaches ignore vast swathes of the economy, including the gift, collaborative and hybrid forms that coexist with more conventional capitalism in the new digital economy. Drawing on economic sociology, anthropology of the gift and heterodox economics, this book proposes a groundbreaking framework for analysing diverse economic systems: a political economy of practices. The framework is used to analyse Apple, Wikipedia, Google, YouTube and Facebook, showing how different complexes of appropriative practices bring about radically different economic outcomes. Innovative and topical, Profit and Gift in the Digital Economy focusses on an area of rapid social change while developing a theoretically and politically radical framework that will be of continuing long-term relevance. It will appeal to students, activists and academics in the social sciences.

ISBN-10

1316509389
ISBN-13

978-1316509388
Edition

Reprint
Publisher

Cambridge University Press
Publication date

June 24, 2016
Language

English
Dimensions

5.98 x 0.61 x 8.98 inches
Print length

260 pages
See all details

Editorial Reviews

Review

‘… this is a book that has big ideas, is dealing with monumental shifts in how our society is organised, how our economy works, and how we fundamentally relate to each other … there is so much content that can be used to explain digital and economic phenomena and theory that this deserves to be a widely discussed and thought about text …’ Jon Dean, Sociological Research Online

Book Description

This book develops a new political economy, enabling us to see, understand and advocate a diverse economy beyond capitalism and socialism.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Cambridge University Press; Reprint edition (June 24, 2016)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 260 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1316509389
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1316509388
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.98 x 0.61 x 8.98 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,146,141 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,945 in Sociology (Books)
- #3,309 in Economics (Books)
- #12,778 in Professional

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Nikos S

A book useful to diverse audiences interested in the digital economy

Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2017

This book is useful to different categories of readers: scholars (as it introduces new notions that can help the social scientist make sense of the digital age), non-academics who are less familiar with the digital economy (as it explains its various operations in simple terms by various case studies, from Wikipedia to Apple and from Google to Facebook), and to university students interested in an introduction to some themes related to economic sociology.
In the digital economy, the shortcomings of dominant theories (marxian and neo-classical economics) are exposed to light. For the author, it is important to go beyond the parochial notion of a ‘mode of production’. Economy is too complex for that, as what actually exists is a diverse spectrum of coexisting economic forms.
Thus, Elder-Vass emphasizes the need for alternative models of political economy if one wishes to understand (or change) the world. He introduces the notion of a provisioning economy, which delivers benefits (commercial or other) to people, through various appropriative practices which indicate who gets what, based on the subjects’ motives and values, but also on technological availability. These practices go beyond capitalism and include various forms of gifts: traditional (like an act of generosity), or as part of ‘incidental transfers’-such as users providing useful information to Google, though this has not been their motive when using its free service. Gift is central in the author’s work, as he provides a categorization of their different kinds available in the digital economy, and their functions. For those familiar with previous works of Elder-Vass, they’ll find links with his ideas around social realism.
The author does take political and moral positions (close to ideas of thinkers like Habermas); yet, even if one does not share his premises, the book is still beneficial to the reader.

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Top reviews from other countries

Nikos S

A book useful to diverse audiences interested in the digital economy

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 4, 2017

Verified Purchase

This book is useful to different categories of readers: scholars (as it introduces new notions that can help the social scientist make sense of the digital age), non-academics who are less familiar with the digital economy (as it explains its various operations in simple terms by various case studies, from Wikipedia to Apple and from Google to Facebook), and to university students interested in an introduction to some themes related to economic sociology.
In the digital economy, the shortcomings of dominant theories (marxian and neo-classical economics) are exposed to light. For the author, it is important to go beyond the parochial notion of a ‘mode of production’. Economy is too complex for that, as what actually exists is a diverse spectrum of coexisting economic forms.
Thus, Elder-Vass emphasizes the need for alternative models of political economy if one wishes to understand (or change) the world. He introduces the notion of a provisioning economy, which delivers benefits (commercial or other) to people, through various appropriative practices which indicate who gets what, based on the subjects’ motives and values, but also on technological availability. These practices go beyond capitalism and include various forms of gifts: traditional (like an act of generosity), or as part of ‘incidental transfers’-such as users providing useful information to Google, though this has not been their motive when using its free service. Gift is central in the author’s work, as he provides a categorization of their different kinds available in the digital economy, and their functions. For those familiar with previous works of Elder-Vass, they’ll find links with his ideas around social realism.
The author does take political and moral positions (close to ideas of thinkers like Habermas); yet, even if one does not share his premises, the book is still beneficial to the reader.

One person found this helpful

Dr. Joe

An insightful and accessible book.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 20, 2017

Verified Purchase

A clear, intelligent and innovative book about the complexity of digital practices, which offers a useful theory to overcome the limitations of traditional critiques.

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