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The Corruption of Capitalism

Why rentiers thrive and work does not pay
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( 198 ratings, 21 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Corruption of Capitalism by Guy Standing exposes the rigged nature of global capitalism, where a small elite controls assets and profits without producing real value. This third edition updates the analysis to include the impacts of the pandemic slump and Brexit, revealing a system that favours rentiers at the expense of workers and society. The book explores how this plutocracy enriches itself through ownership and privatisation, while workers face stagnant wages amid shifting labour markets.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is essential reading for those interested in politics, economics, and social justice, especially readers concerned with labour rights, inequality, and the flaws within modern capitalism.

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In this third edition of his best-selling polemic celebrated labour economist Guy Standing brings his tale of corruption up to date to encompass debates around the pandemic slump and Brexit.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

When it was originally published in 2016, The Corruption of Capitalism introduced the concept of rentier capitalism, whereby a small, rich cadre controls access to property and profit without actually contributing to society. In this third edition of his bestselling polemic, celebrated labour economist Guy Standing brings his tale of corruption up to date to encompass debates around the pandemic slump and Brexit.

There is a lie at the heart of global capitalism. Politicians, financiers, and global bureaucrats claim to believe in free competitive markets, but they have constructed the most unfree market system ever.

It is corrupt because income is channelled to the owners of propertyβ€”financial, physical and intellectualβ€”at the expense of society.

This classic book reveals how global capitalism is rigged in favour of rentiers to the detriment of the precariat and othersβ€”an inequity that has been made starker by the advent of coronavirus. A plutocracy and elite enriches itself not through production of goods and services but through ownership of assets and the privatisation of public services. Meanwhile, wages stagnate as labour markets are transformed by outsourcing, automation and the on-demand economy, generating more rental income while expanding the precariat.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Paul Mason praises Standing's pioneering analysis of basic income and the challenges of a precarious workforce in an era of automation. Robert Reich highlights the book's thoughtful focus on wealth transforming into corrupt political power and notes its useful solutions. John McDonnell commends Standing's incisive critique and warns that the rising precariat demands political attention.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781785906817

Publisher: Biteback Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 06 May 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Biteback Publishing

Edition: New edition

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Weight: 250g

Pages: 416

About the Author

Guy Standing is a professor at SOAS, University of London, and is a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. He was previously professor of labour economics at Monash University and before that director of the Socio-Economic Security Programme of the International Labour Organization. He is co-president of the Basic Income Earth Network. His books include Work after Globalization: Building Occupational Citizenship (2009), The Precariat: The New Dangerous Class (2011) and Basic Income: And How We Can Make It Happen (2017). He lives in Switzerland.

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