Category Archives: EU Experts’s Discussion 2013

Claude Serfati: Some Proposals for the Debate

From a theoretical perspective, the analysis has to start from capitalism as a socio-economic system pushed forward by an unrelentless quest for valorization of capital. Capital is based on socio-economic relations, it is not reducible to its material representation – it is not a thing (e.g. a machine). For almost two centuries, capitalism has been able, through huge periods of economic and social disasters (classical” overaccumulation crisis, world and regional wars, overuse of natural resources, etc.), to overcome its large internal contradictions. Continue reading

3. EU Experts’ Discussion 4.-6. October, RLF Berlin

ESF-Frauen-600x310At the end of our second EU experts’ discussion (November 2012) we agreed to continue analyzing the complex of debt – austerity policy – financialisation – capitalist oligarchies – production and consumption patterns – hegemony – socio-ecological reconstruction/transformation – and the specially dramatic dimensions of the Greek case.

Reflecting our discussions (and continuing the analysis) at the beginning of 2013 we proposed to focus on the triangle of financialisation – capitalist oligarchies/hegemony – production and consumption patterns.

In April we continued: Three issues will be central to our work

The influence of austerity policy, the policies of the EU and its member
states on financialisation and its actors. In other words: the connections and interrelations between austerity policy, the policies of the EU and its member states on the one hand and financialisation and its actors on the other hand (1)

The role of the different stake-holders (and especially of the shareholders and managers) in the financialisation process (2)

The consequences for work on political strategies and for further research (3).