Search

This volume proposes a reconsideration of ecological and environmental aspects of the work and ideas of various heterodox authors and traditions in the history of economic thought, including the field of economic development.Many of the contributors to this book focus on thinkers and works which are not typically considered as part of the ecological sphere, while others consider such economists in a new light or domain. Thus, the book elucidates a new and useful research field of reconsidering ecological dimensions in the traditional history of economic thought as well as helping to delineate alternative views for ongoing debates on ecological themes. Did Veblen, Keynes, Sraffa, C. Furtado and other key economists and schools of thought of our age have relevant and useful insights with respect to environmental issues? Which aspects of their intellectual legacies should eventually be discarded in the face of our new environmental challenges? On the contrary, what aspects of their economic theories can be updated and adapted to a better interpretation of our present ecological concerns? How do they differ, and why? The essays contained in this book will help to answer these questions, by means of recovering, analysing and updating the work of some of the most relevant heterodox economists and schools of thought of our time.This book will be of great interest for readers in the history of economic thought, ecological economics, environmental economics and economic development.

Departing from the category of'peripheral socialism', this book offers an economic history of the Cuban revolution between 1959 and 2019, with a focus on the period that ranges between 2008 and 2018. The core of the research is the administration of Raúl Castro and the economic and social reforms introduced by it under the concept of socialism update. The book describes Cuba's recent economic policies and analyses the structure and dynamics of Cuba's economic changes, offering a panoramic view which can serve as an introduction to further more detailed analyses. The book also offers an interpretation of Cuba's socialism in light of the Latin American political economy of underdevelopment, so as to interpret Cuba's structural economic performance.The analytical background will enable readers to understand the contemporary crises in Cuba, with a balanced look at the triumphs and limits of its peripheral socialism. It will find an audience among scholars and researchers of economic development and history, macroeconomics, Latin American and Cuban Studies, Socialism Studies, and related areas. It will also be of interest to economists, politicians, diplomats, journalists, and NGOs.

This book presents an overview of the economic policies adopted by the Bolivarian governments of Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela between 1998 and 2018, and the economic and social results of these policies. The recent history of Venezuela has attracted much attention due to Chávez's and Maduro's self-declared search for socialism since the beginning of the 21st century and the economic trajectory of the country in this period, which experienced significant economic growth during the international oil boom in the first decade of the century, followed by a huge economic crisis in the second decade. The volume adopts an economic history approach, taking into account both economic and social variables to analyze the Venezuelan overall socio-economic performance since 1998. Drawing on official documents and statistics, as well as on the available literature, it presents an empirical analysis of Venezuelan economic and social histories during the Bolivarianperiod, describing and analyzing the achievements and limits of the policies adopted between 1998 and 2018. Society and Economy in Venezuela: An Overview of the Bolivarian Period (1998-2018) will be a useful introduction to sociologists, political economists, political scientists, economic historians and other social scientists interested in understanding the multiple interrelations between economy and society in Bolivarian Venezuela. “This book offers a thoughtful, committed and illuminating analysis of the socialist experiment in Venezuela. Its strengths and weaknesses are examined in unprecedented detail, in order to identify the drivers and limitation of'socialism in the 21st century'. An essential work for scholars, students and citizens concerned with Venezuela.” – Alfredo Saad-Filho, King's College London