Marxist Political Economy

This workshop was originally taught at the Summer Academy for Pluralist Economics 2021
Instructor: Anna Weber

Module description

Qualification goals / Outcome:

After completing the module, participants should have knowledge and understanding about the theory of Critical Political Economy and its basic methods. They should be able to apply central concepts to analyse critical questions regarding the embeddedness of economic relations within broader social, political and ecological relations.

Course content:

Central concepts of Critical Political Economy based on Karl Marx will be introduced, like the commodity form, structural exploitation and capital as a social relation and as value in movement. There will be general discussions about the intertwining of capitalist exploitation with other power relations, like gender inequality or racism, and the so-called jobs versus environment dilemma.

Teaching methods:

The workshop will include a mixture of new content as lecture, discussion of lecture and prepared reading. Additionally, interaction within small groups as well as within general discussions will take place. Studens will develop presentations for the workshop as well as a final presentation for the whole summer academy.

Kind of module:

This Module can either be accomplished in a compulsory or elective module, depending on the degree programme. In every degree programme it might be suited for elective or transdisciplinary modules. In degree programmes in economics or with parts in economics, it might be suited for advanced courses, too.

Requirements for participation:

The workshop is open to everyone who is curious about Marxist Political Economy, and the social, political, and historical embeddedness of economics. Students will have to read and reflect the provided literature, participate within small working groups and the general discussions, and prepare presentations.

Requirements for granting credit points

Assessment pattern

Presentation: no marking; Essay: up to 15 points for the form (including cover sheet, clarity of structure, citization, comments and footnotes, length and presentation, spelling and wording) and up to 35 points for content (development of problem, overview of structure, work on the problem, argumentation (logical, stringent, precise), critical reflection of the literature, coherence in argumentation, summary of problems
and results, orginality (development of own point of view, critical opinion, placement in research context)

Module coordinator

The module is carried out by the Netzwerk Plurale Ökonomik e.V. Responsible staff:
Janina Urban, M.Sc. and Anita Lehner, M.A.

Module teaching staff

Anna Weber, PhD-Candidate (University of Kassel), currently employed as scientific researcher for a member of the German Parliament

Reading List

Basic Readings

• Dimmelmeier, Andresas, Andrea Pückhauer, und Anil Shah. "Marxian Political Economy", 18. Dezember 2016 https://www.exploring-economics.org/en/orientation/marxist-political-economy/
• Harvey, David: THe Visualisation of Capital as Value in Motion, in: ibid.: Marx, Capital and the Madness of Economic Reason, 2017. (PDF)
• Buckel, Sonja, und Lukas Oberndorfer. "Dirty Capitalism". Krisis, Journal of contemporary philosophy 2, pp. 42-44, (2018). https://archive.krisis.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Krisis-2018-2-Marx-from-the-Margins-Full-Issue.pdf
• Forster, John Bellamy: Marx and the rift in the universal metabolism of nature, 19 pages, 2013 (PDF)
• Räthzel, Nora und Uzzel, David: Trade unions and climate change: The job versus environment dilemma, 8 pages, 2011. (PDF)
• King, Dave: The Lucas Plan -  An Idea Whose Time has Come?, 10 pages, 2011. https://magazine.scienceforthepeople.org/vol22-2/the-new-lucas-plan/

Futher Readings

• Forster, John Bellamy. "Marx's Open-Ended Critique". Monthly Review 70, Nr.1 (1. Mai 2018). https://monthlyreview.org/2018/05/01/marxs-open-ended-critique/
• Heinrich, Michael. An Introduction to the Three Volumes of Karl Marx's Capital. Übersetzt von Alex Locascio. New York: Monthly Review Press, U.S., 2012. 
• Basu, Deepankar. "The Structure and Content of Das Kapital". UMass Anherst Economics Working Papers, 21. August 2017, 41 Pages. (PDF)
• Malm, Andreas: China as Chimney of the World: The Fossil Capital Hypothesis, 31 pages, 2012. (PDF)
• Vidal, Matt: Fordism and the Golden Age of Atlantic Capitalism, in: The SAGE Handbook of the Sociology of Work and Employment, p. 283-306, 2016. (PDF)
• Soederberg, Susanne: The Transnational Debt Architecture and Emerging Markets: the politics pf paradpxes and punishment, in: Third World Quaterly, Vol. 26, No. 6, pp. 927-949, 2005. (PDF)