1,238 research outputs found
Struggling for Political Economy: an Institutional Issue
The financial crisis has turned into a real economic crisis and then into a public finance crisis: its political and social implications show very obviously, even to the most unaware people, how much economic matters are a social and political phenomenon. Is political economy going to be more influential on economic policy and in the public debate? It depends on the evolution of social and political struggles in the society as a whole. But it also depends on our ability to built an alternative view of the situation and credible alternative solutions. In order to promote our ideas in the future, we have to deal urgently with our own institutional reproduction. What is happening in France on this issue?political economy; academic reproduction; crisis of economic science
Labour process and the division of labour, a reading
This article proposes an analysis of the labour process and the division of labour in capitalist production through a reading of Marx and a few others like Babbage and Braverman. The distinction between labour and labour power is used to expose the specificity of the labour process. Cooperation constitues the fundamental from of capitalist production, which entails a double-sided command (coordination to produce use-values and despotism to extract surplus-value). Formal subordination, i.e; the threat of lay-off, is historically and logically the primitive moment of labour's subordination to capital. The effect of the division of labour on productivity is only temporary. It principally deprives workers of their professional skills, increases real control by management, reduces labour power's value and prepares its replacement by machinery. There is an incessant struggle between labour and management over the control of the labour process and over skills.Labour process, Babbage principle, division of labour, formal/real subordination, cooperation.
Authority inside the firm: multiple mechanisms of coordination
In the last twenty years, through a growing awareness of contractual incompleteness, the concept of authority has regained primacy in the analysis of the employment relationship. This article pursues two goals. First, we assess the famous controversy between Coase and Alchian and Demsetz via an analysis of the foundations of intra-firm authority. Second, we argue that intra-firm authority cannot hinge on a single variable and, to the contrary, rests on multiple mechanisms. The employer's authority over the employee is therefore not binary –infinite or null – and should be understood in terms of degree.authority; firm; incomplete contracts; law and economics
Why and how do capitalists divide labor? From Marglin and back again through Babbage and Marx
International audienceNearly four decades ago, Stephen Marglin explored the origins of hierarchy in capitalist production with a divide and conquer hypothesis based on the idea that the monopolisation of knowledge about production technology plays a major role in explaining how workers are deprived of control over the labour process. Nevertheless, this explanation has some shortcomings that Marx and Babbage had avoided. Those two authors provided a highly accurate and convincing interpretation of the division of labour that remains relevant. The present paper proposes a general synthesis of their analysis. Two points are emphasised: (1) the division of labour plays a major role in wage determination; and (2) the division of labour largely determines the form of subjection of labour to capital
"Que reste-t-il de la contribution d'Alchian et Demsetz à la théorie de l'entreprise ?"
National audienceWhat does remain from Alchian and Demsetz' contribution to the theory of the firm ? This paper appraises, from the point of view of the history of economic thought, Alchian and Demsetz' contribution on the theory of the firm. This celebrated contribution can be considered partly as a reply to the “radical challenge” which occured at the end of the 1960's. In spite of numerous quotations of Alchian and Demsetz' paper, its real content has hardly been resumed, probably because of its internal limits and its too narrow focus. Finally, only the short passage on the specificity of the employment relationship will come down to posterity in the discussions concerning the sources of authority.La présente contribution étudie l'apport d'Alchian etDemsetz [1972], souvent présenté comme l'un des textes fondateurs de la microéconomie contemporaine de la firme, du point de vue de l'histoire de la pensée économique. Replacé dans son contexte historique, cet article peut être considéré comme une réponse au “défi radical”. Ce courant, qui s'est institutionnalisé à la fin des années 1960, a contraint les économistes néoclassiques à réformer leur approche en vue d'intégrer de nouveaux éléments au programme standard. Bien que l'article d'Alchian et Demsetz soit très largement cité, son contenu n'a pourtant que très peu été repris, en raison de ses limites internes et d'un cadre d'analyse trop restreint. Finalement, ce sont essentiellement les quelques lignes sur la spécificité de la relation d'emploi, lesquelles seront reprises au cours des années 1980 et 1990 dans les réflexions portant sur les sources de l'autorité, qui resteront à la postérité
Labour process and the division of labour, a reading
URL des Documents de travail : http://ces.univ-paris1.fr/cesdp/CESFramDP2009.htmDocuments de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 2009.74 - ISSN : 1955-611XThis article proposes an analysis of the labour process and the division of labour in capitalist production through a reading of Marx and a few others like Babbage and Braverman. The distinction between labour and labour power is used to expose the specificity of the labour process. Cooperation constitues the fundamental from of capitalist production, which entails a double-sided command (coordination to produce use-values and despotism to extract surplus-value). Formal subordination, i.e; the threat of lay-off, is historically and logically the primitive moment of labour's subordination to capital. The effect of the division of labour on productivity is only temporary. It principally deprives workers of their professional skills, increases real control by management, reduces labour power's value and prepares its replacement by machinery. There is an incessant struggle between labour and management over the control of the labour process and over skills.Cet article propose une analyse du procès de travail et de la division du travail dans la production capitaliste à travers une lecture de Marx et de quelques autres comme Babbage et Braverman. La distinction entre travail et force de travail est utilisée pour présenter la spécificité du procès de travail. La coopération constitue la forme fondamentale de la production capitaliste, ce qui confère un double aspect au commandement (coordination pour produire des valeurs d'usage et despotisme pour extraire la plus-value). La subordination formelle, c'est-à -dire la menace de licenciement, est historiquement et logiquement le moment primitif de la subordination du travail au capital. L'effet de division du travail est seulement temporaire. Principalement, elle prive les travailleurs de leurs connaissances du métier, elle accroît le contrôle réel par le management, elle réduit la valeur de la force de travail et prépare son remplacement par la machine. Il y a une lutte incessante entre les travailleurs et le management concernant le contrôle du procès de travail et les compétences
Organisation sociale, fonctionnement economique et progrès technique. Le determinisme technique dans les "nouvelles" theories de l'entreprise
Technical determinism is often presented as a shortcoming of the old neoclassical approach of which the « new theories » are supposed to be ridded. This paper shows that technical determinism is nevertheless still present.Contrairement à ce que prétendent les tenants des «nouvelles théories» de l'entreprise, le déterminisme technique joue toujours un rôle majeur dans ces approches néoclassiques
Le fruit est mûr, il faut le cueillir
URL des Documents de travail : http://ces.univ-paris1.fr/cesdp/cesdp2016.htmlDocuments de travail du Centre d'Economie de la Sorbonne 2016.70 - ISSN : 1955-611XThis paper is the conclusion of the book "Sortir l'Afrique de la servitude monétaire". It draws possible storylines about the after-CFA.Ce texte constitue la conclusion de l'ouvrage « Sortir l'Afrique de la servitude monétaire ». Il discute des scénarios possibles de l'après CFA
Remarques à propos du déterminisme technique
URL des Cahiers : https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/CAHIERS-MSECahiers de la Maison des Sciences Economiques 2005.69 - ISSN : 1624-0340Technical determinism is often presented as a shortcoming of the old neoclassical approach of which the "new theories" are supposed to be ridded. This paper shows that technical determinism is nevertheless still present.Contrairement à ce que prétendent les tenants des "nouvelles théories" de l'entreprise, le déterminisme technique joue toujours un rôle majeur dans ces approches néoclassiques
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