Category Archives: Polanyi

Anthropologists and inequality

Posted on April 30, 2019 by

Inequality in human societies has always existed. When it becomes extreme (that point varies by society and historical circumstances) the society either collapses completely (e.g., revolution, war, failure of basic services, famine) or undergoes changes in its basic framework. Ancient … Continue reading →

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Karl Polanyi and social justice

Posted on April 24, 2019 by

An alternative notion of “economy” In the introductory note to the book Trade and Market, Polanyi invites the readers to re-examine the notion of the “economy” since many people think that the only way of organizing the livelihoods of men … Continue reading →

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Socially Embedding the Market and the Role of Law

Posted on May 15, 2016 by

Professor Margaret Somers is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan and a renowned expert on the work of Karl Polanyi. She is highly regarded for her writing on a nascent sociology of human rights and its links … Continue reading →

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The Methodology of Polanyi’s Great Transformation

Posted on February 3, 2016 by

Polanyi’s book on The Great Transformation provides an analysis of the emergence and significance of capitalist economic structures which differs radically from those currently universally taught in economic textbooks. This analysis is based on a methodological approach which is also … Continue reading →

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Karl Polanyi : prophète de la fin de l’économie libérale

Posted on October 28, 2015 by

Karl Polanyi, écrivain et professeur d’origine hongroise, a vécu en Europe centrale et en Grande-Bretagne avant d’émigrer aux Etats-Unis durant la Deuxième Guerre mondiale. Il est l’auteur d’une critique brillante et puissante de la tendance libérale à placer le marché … Continue reading →

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Disembedded Markets as a Mirror of Society

Posted on July 21, 2015 by

In the Marxist tradition, capitalism is understood as a commodified society based on markets. The article argues that the ultimate justification of this position does not lie in any ‘materialistic’ approach, but in the disembedding of markets that was the … Continue reading →

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Karl Polanyi – The Great Transformation: the Political and Economic Origins of our Time

Posted on February 10, 2015 by

In this classic work of economic history and social theory, Karl Polanyi analyzes the economic and social changes brought about by the “great transformation” of the Industrial Revolution. His analysis explains not only the deficiencies of the self-regulating market but … Continue reading →

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Our Obsolete Market Mentality – Civilization Must Find a New Thought Pattern

Posted on June 30, 2014 by

Karl Polanyi: “The market mechanism moreover created the delusion of economic determinism as a general law for all human society.. To attempt to apply economic determinism to all human societies is little short of fantastic. Nothing is more obvious to … Continue reading →

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The Power of Market Fundamentalism – Karl Polanyi’s Critique

Posted on June 30, 2014 by

What is it about free-market ideas that give them tenacious staying power in the face of such manifest failures as persistent unemployment, widening inequality, and the severe financial crises that have stressed Western economies over the past forty years? Fred … Continue reading →

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