Papers by Alfredo Saad Filho
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Critical Sociology, 2014
Procedural (formal, liberal, capitalist or bourgeois) democracy is the political form of neoliber... more Procedural (formal, liberal, capitalist or bourgeois) democracy is the political form of neoliberalism, and it dominates political thought and state practice today. This modality of management of class relations is currently in crisis, expressed through the evacuation of politics, the erosion of civil liberties and the emergence of authoritarian governance. This article offers a Marxist critique of neoliberal democracy, concluding that neoliberalism is incompatible with the expansion of democracy into key areas of social life. This is expressed by six paradoxes of democracy. Conversely, the expansion of democracy can provide an effective lever for the abolition of neoliberalism. This approach is promising for three reasons: first, the expansion of democracy is valuable in itself. Second, the contradictions between economic and political democracy illuminate the limitations of contemporary capitalism. Third, struggles about the nature and content of democracy can throw into question ...
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This thesis is a contribution to recent debates on the labour theory of value (LTV). It builds up... more This thesis is a contribution to recent debates on the labour theory of value (LTV). It builds upon two distinctive features of the LTV; first, the categories used in the inquiry are historically determined modes of existence of capitalist social relations; second, it rejects equilibrium as the organizing principle of the investigation. Six issues are analysed in the light of these elements and the previous literature. First, the relationship between dialectical logic and the LTV is addressed through an evaluation of the 'new dialectics'. This approach to Marx's method understands the LTV as a systematic dialectical theory, whose aim is the reconstruction in thought of the main characteristics of capitalism. Second, the relationship between labour and value is assessed through the real processes that determine value and price, the normalization, synchronization and homogenization (NSH) of labour. Three well-known views of the LTV are assessed in this light; the tradition...
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Actuel Marx, 2012
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Studies in Political Economy, 2014
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Africa, 1997
Este artigo analisa as razoes do fracasso da coletivizacao da agricultura em Mocambique (1975-83)... more Este artigo analisa as razoes do fracasso da coletivizacao da agricultura em Mocambique (1975-83). Duas explicacoes sao propostas; primeiro, as politicas de socializacao da Frelimo eram inconsistentes por refletirem um compromisso impossivel entre visoes dualistas e nao-dualistas da relacao entre os setores campones e “ moderno” da economia. Segundo, os camponeses pobres e medios resistiram ativamente as politicas coletivistas do governo. O conflito entre o Estado e o campesinato levou ao colapso da producao agricola, a derrota da estrategia de coletivizacao da agricultura, e a generalizacao da guerra civil no pais.
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Análise Econômica, 2003
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Page 1. CI~NCIA E IDEOLOGIA NA ESCOLA DE 19 GRAU ?????? - O ensino de Ci??ncias F??sicas e Biol??... more Page 1. CI~NCIA E IDEOLOGIA NA ESCOLA DE 19 GRAU ?????? - O ensino de Ci??ncias F??sicas e Biol??gicas em Goi??s Alfredo Antonio Saad Page 2. CItNCIA E IDEOLOGIA NA ESCOLA DE 19 GRAU O ensino de Ci??ncias F??sicas e Biol??gicas em Goi??s Alfredo Antonio Saad ...
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Capital & Class, 1999
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Capital & Class, 1998
which the CPGB wanted affiliation. Electoral unity was rejected by the 1944 Labour Conference and... more which the CPGB wanted affiliation. Electoral unity was rejected by the 1944 Labour Conference and a challenge to ruling a motion for it out of order was narrowly defeated in 1945. Affiliation was rejected by three to one in 1943 and by more than five to one at the 1946 Conference. Pollitt claimed that ‘the CPGB was the first Party outside the socialist countries to base a programme on the possibility of a peaceful transition to socialism’—the ‘British Road’. He developed this from his pamphlets ‘Answers to Questions’ (1945) and ‘Looking Ahead’ (1947). It was done on the estimate of the world advance of democratic, liberation and socialist forces at the time. Judging by the sales, in 1951, there must have been a great deal of interest, at the time, but subsequent editions seemed to get longer and more detailed the more unlikely it seemed to be implemented.
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Indicadores Econômicos …, 1998
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Unknown Journal,??(??), xv-427 …, 1996
... The underdevelopment of development: Essays in honor of Andre Gunder Frank. Post a Comment. C... more ... The underdevelopment of development: Essays in honor of Andre Gunder Frank. Post a Comment. CONTRIBUTORS: Author: Frank, Andre Gunder (b. 1929, d. ----. Author: Chew, Sing C. Author: Denemark, Robert A. JOURNAL: Unknown Journal, ??(? xv - 427. YEAR: 1996. ...
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Capital & Class, 1996
In this excellent little book Ray Kiely makes an important contribution to the advancement of a M... more In this excellent little book Ray Kiely makes an important contribution to the advancement of a Marxian understanding of the development process. Sociology of development is, like its cousin development economics, plagued by controversy. Kiely’s journey starts with the analysis of the theoretical impasse in these areas. This impasse has been caused by the disappointing performance of traditional approaches of various persuasions, and by the lack of better alternatives. However, Kiely’s interest is not purely academic, and not at all eclectic. Even though he discusses (often in considerable detail) the problems with non-Marxian approaches to development theory, his emphasis lies squarely on the different Marxian understandings of the process. Sociology and Development has eight sections. Section one (the introduction) provides a brief overview of development theories and outlines the main objectives of the book. Section two discusses the different Marxian views of development and, more specifically, how alternative readings of Marx have shaped the different perceptions of development held by his followers. Readers of Capital & Class will find this a very important chapter, especially because of the critique of ‘orthodox Marxism’. This conception of development is based on (a) a unilinear account of history (which generally derives from an uncritical reading of the preface to the Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy), (b) the perception that history is essentially a reflex of the development of the productive forces, (c) the evaluation of the relations of production in terms of their functionality for the development of the productive forces, and (d) the ensuing perception that capitalism (and even colonialism) are agents of the modernization of the ‘Third World’. Ray Kiely subjects this approach to development (whose most typical representative is Bill Warren) to a systematic critique, which is surely one of the most important contributions of the book. Section three analyses modernization and dependency theories, and returns to the ‘orthodox Marxist’ view of development for renewed criticism. This is a very well written chapter, in which Kiely rightly emphasizes the historicity and complexity intrinsic to the process of development. Kiely departs from the social and historical context in which modernization theory was initially articulated, to show that both dependency theory and ‘orthodox Marxism’ Ray Kiely
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SAGE Handbook of Neoliberalism, 2018
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Capital & Class, 1993
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LATIN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES, 1998
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DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIETY, 2010
This paper offers a political economy analysis of the two systems of accumulation in the postwar ... more This paper offers a political economy analysis of the two systems of accumulation in the postwar Brazilian economy: import-substituting industrialisation (ISI) and new liberalism, and the industrial policies associated with them. The transition between these two systems of accumulation from the early 1980s to the mid-1990s is reviewed in the light of the country's key macroeconomic indicators and the political developments which have determined the choice and implementation of economic policy in each period. It is argued that, despite their significant achievements, both ISI and new liberalism were implemented unevenly and inconsistently , and that their shortcomings can be analysed at two levels: internal micro-and macro-economic limitations preventing these development strategies from achieving their stated aims, and external limitations imposed by social conflicts during each period of time. The paper concludes , first, that industrial policies are closely associated with specific state structures, economic constraints, and political configurations which can be analysed only concretely (there can be no general theory of industrial policy, and there is no 'optimum path' of accumulation under late development). Second, each system of accumulation is limited by a distinctive set of historically specific economic and political constraints, which set limits to its potential development. Third, and precisely for these reasons, industrial policy is irreducibly political and context-specific.
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Review of Political Economy, 2018
Marxist political economy is alive and well, and not just because of the habitual turn to Marx in... more Marxist political economy is alive and well, and not just because of the habitual turn to Marx in response to any crisis of capitalism. Both through Capital and through the continuing evolution of Marxism, Marxist political economy offers valuable insights that can illuminate the modalities of social and economic reproduction and the relationships between (different aspects of) the economic and the non-economic. Marxism's presence has been felt through its own internal debates and debates with other approaches to political economy, and even through its influence on those reacting against Marxism. The key to the continuing relevance and analytical strengths of Marxist political economy lies in its capacity to provide a framework of analysis for unifying disparate insights into and critiques of the contradictions of capitalism across the social sciences. The instrument for forging that unity is Marx's theory of value, the potential of which is examined and illustrated with reference to the Sraffian critique and two key concepts in Marxian political economy: the value of labour power and financialisation. They are explored in the light of the processes of commodification, commodity form and commodity calculation. ARTICLE HISTORY
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Theory & Struggle, 2019
The dramatic and unexpected election and re-election of Jeremy Corbyn to the Labour Party leaders... more The dramatic and unexpected election and re-election of Jeremy Corbyn to the Labour Party leadership, as well as the disarray of the Tory government under Theresa May in the wake of the Brexit negotiations and poor electoral performance, have raised the possibility that Corbyn
will become prime minister at the next election. The political challenges he has faced, within his own party as well as from outside, have been formidable.
But if he were to lead a Labour government, this raises longstanding strategic issues within the labour movement over how to reconcile continuing popularity and electability with economic transformation. This is especially salient given the shift of the Labour Party, and politics
more generally, to the right under the influence of globalised, financialised neoliberalism in which Margaret Thatcher’s mantra of There Is No Alternative needs to be taken seriously, if not literally and rigidly. There are many alternatives given the weight of neoliberal dysfunctions, and an assessment is made of the economic policies that have been signalled by the Labour leadership, arguing that they are
limited from the perspective of socialist strategies adopted by
Labour in the past, but also necessary to build a movement
for more radical alternatives.
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LATIN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES, 2018
Under favorable external circumstances, the pragmatic political and economic strategy of Brazil's... more Under favorable external circumstances, the pragmatic political and economic strategy of Brazil's Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers' Party-PT) helped to secure short-term political stability, boosted growth, and supported an unprecedented distribution of income. However, it also meant that the PT had to accommodate to rather than transform the constraints on growth in Brazil and that stability would involve unwieldy political alliances preventing deeper reforms. When it was confronted with deteriorating global economic conditions and increasingly ineffectual economic policies, the PT's strategy immobilized the party, facilitated the dissolution of its base of support, and expedited its ouster from power. The Brazilian experience suggests that political pragmatism can, within limits, support progressive economic change but that the outcomes depend heavily on external circumstances and the stability of the political coalitions supporting the administration. Em circunstâncias externas favoráveis, a pragmática estratégia política e econômica do Partido dos Trabalhadores (PT) ajudou a assegurar a estabilidade política no curto prazo, impulsionou o crescimento e apoiou uma distribuição de renda sem precedentes. No entanto, isso também significou que o PT teve que se acomodar a, em vez de transformar, as restrições ao crescimento no Brasil, e que a estabilidade envolveria alianças políticas comprometedoras, impedindo reformas mais profundas. Quando foi confrontada com a deterioração das condições econômicas globais e apresentando políticas econômicas cada vez mais ineficazes, a estratégia do PT imobilizou o partido, facilitou a dissolução de sua base de apoio e acelerou sua saída do poder. A experiência brasileira sugere que o pragma-tismo político pode, dentro de certos limites, apoiar a mudança econômica progressista, mas que os resultados dependem muito das circunstâncias externas e da estabilidade das coalizões políticas que apóiam a administração.
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Papers by Alfredo Saad Filho
will become prime minister at the next election. The political challenges he has faced, within his own party as well as from outside, have been formidable.
But if he were to lead a Labour government, this raises longstanding strategic issues within the labour movement over how to reconcile continuing popularity and electability with economic transformation. This is especially salient given the shift of the Labour Party, and politics
more generally, to the right under the influence of globalised, financialised neoliberalism in which Margaret Thatcher’s mantra of There Is No Alternative needs to be taken seriously, if not literally and rigidly. There are many alternatives given the weight of neoliberal dysfunctions, and an assessment is made of the economic policies that have been signalled by the Labour leadership, arguing that they are
limited from the perspective of socialist strategies adopted by
Labour in the past, but also necessary to build a movement
for more radical alternatives.
will become prime minister at the next election. The political challenges he has faced, within his own party as well as from outside, have been formidable.
But if he were to lead a Labour government, this raises longstanding strategic issues within the labour movement over how to reconcile continuing popularity and electability with economic transformation. This is especially salient given the shift of the Labour Party, and politics
more generally, to the right under the influence of globalised, financialised neoliberalism in which Margaret Thatcher’s mantra of There Is No Alternative needs to be taken seriously, if not literally and rigidly. There are many alternatives given the weight of neoliberal dysfunctions, and an assessment is made of the economic policies that have been signalled by the Labour leadership, arguing that they are
limited from the perspective of socialist strategies adopted by
Labour in the past, but also necessary to build a movement
for more radical alternatives.