Michael Perelman
Encyclopedia
Michael Perelman is an American
economist
and economic historian
, currently professor of economics
at California State University, Chico
. Perelman has written 19 books, including Railroading Economics, Manufacturing Discontent, The Perverse Economy, and The Invention of Capitalism.
and San Francisco State College, Perelman earned a Ph.D
in agricultural economics
from the University of California, Berkeley
in 1971. Perelman writes that he was drawn away from the "framework of conventional economics," noticing that the agricultural system was "consuming ten times more energy than it was producing in the form of edible food." Perelman's research into how "profit-oriented agricultural system created hunger, pollution, serious public health consequences, and environmental disruption, while throwing millions of people off the land" led to his first book, Farming for Profit in a Hungry World (1977).
Although perceiving flaws in Marx's work as it is typically interpreted in the context of its modern reading, Perelman writes that "Marx’s crisis theory was far more sophisticated than many modern readers had realized," focusing on an interpretation that is largely bypassed by many readers of Marxian economic thought. Perelman views Marxist theory as vindicated through its account of crises that a capitalist economy must inherently generate.
Perelman has appeared on a number of programs, including Media Matters, Pacifica Radio
, KPFA 94.1 Berkeley, and WBBR
(Bloomberg Radio).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
economist
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and economic historian
Economic history
Economic history is the study of economies or economic phenomena in the past. Analysis in economic history is undertaken using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and by applying economic theory to historical situations and institutions...
, currently professor of economics
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
at California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico
California State University, Chico is the second-oldest campus in the twenty-three-campus California State University system. It is located in Chico, California, about ninety miles north of Sacramento...
. Perelman has written 19 books, including Railroading Economics, Manufacturing Discontent, The Perverse Economy, and The Invention of Capitalism.
Biography
A student of economics at the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and San Francisco State College, Perelman earned a Ph.D
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in agricultural economics
Agricultural economics
Agricultural economics originally applied the principles of economics to the production of crops and livestock — a discipline known as agronomics. Agronomics was a branch of economics that specifically dealt with land usage. It focused on maximizing the crop yield while maintaining a good soil...
from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1971. Perelman writes that he was drawn away from the "framework of conventional economics," noticing that the agricultural system was "consuming ten times more energy than it was producing in the form of edible food." Perelman's research into how "profit-oriented agricultural system created hunger, pollution, serious public health consequences, and environmental disruption, while throwing millions of people off the land" led to his first book, Farming for Profit in a Hungry World (1977).
Although perceiving flaws in Marx's work as it is typically interpreted in the context of its modern reading, Perelman writes that "Marx’s crisis theory was far more sophisticated than many modern readers had realized," focusing on an interpretation that is largely bypassed by many readers of Marxian economic thought. Perelman views Marxist theory as vindicated through its account of crises that a capitalist economy must inherently generate.
Perelman has appeared on a number of programs, including Media Matters, Pacifica Radio
Pacifica Radio
Pacifica Radio is the oldest public radio network in the United States. It is a group of five independently operated, non-commercial, listener-supported radio stations that is known for its progressive/liberal political orientation. It is also a program service supplying over 100 affiliated...
, KPFA 94.1 Berkeley, and WBBR
WBBR
WBBR is a radio station broadcasting at 1130 AM in New York City. It airs Bloomberg Radio, a service of Bloomberg L.P. WBBR's format is general and financial news, offering local, national and international news reports along with financial market updates and interviews with corporate executives,...
(Bloomberg Radio).
Books
- Farming for Profit in a Hungry World (1977)
- Classical Political Economy, Primitive Accumulation and the Social Division of Labor (1983)
- Karl Marx’s Crises Theories: Labor, Scarcity and Fictitious Capital (1987)
- Keynes, Investment Theory and the Economic Slowdown: The Role of Replacement Investment and q-Ratios (1989)
- Information, Social Relations, and the Economics of High Technology (1991)
- The Pathology of the U.S. Economy: The Costs of a Low Wage System (1993)
- The End of Economics (1996)
- Class Warfare in the Information Age (1998)
- The Natural Instability of Markets: Expectations, Increasing Returns and the Collapse of Markets (1999)
- Transcending the Economy: On the Potential of Passionate Labor and the Wastes of the Market (2000)
- The Invention of Capitalism: The Secret History of Primitive Accumulation (2000)
- The Pathology of the U.S. Economy Revisited: The Intractable Contradictions of Economic Policy (2001)
- Steal This Idea: Intellectual Property and The Corporate Confiscation of Creativity (2002)
- The Perverse Economy: The Impact of Markets on People and Nature (2003)
- Manufacturing Discontent: The Trap of Individualism in a Corporate Society (2005)
- Railroading Economics: The Creation of the Free Market Mythology (2006)
- The Confiscation of American Prosperity: From Right-Wing Extremism and Economic Ideology to the Next Great Depression (2007)
- The Invisible Handcuffs of Capitalism: How Market Tyranny Stifles the Economy by Stunting Workers (2011)
External links
- California State University page
- Michael Perelman's blog Unsettling Economics
- Michael Perelman. (2000). The Invention of Capitalism: Classical Political Economy and the Secret History of Primitive Accumulation Published by Duke University PressDuke University PressDuke University Press is an academic publisher of books and journals, and a unit of Duke University. It publishes approximately 120 books annually and more than 40 journals, as well as offering five electronic collections...
. ISBN 0822324911, 9780822324911 - "What's Wrong with Tort Reform?" by Michael Perelman (Monthly Review)
- Michael Perelman: An Audio Podcast with Bob McChesney
- Interview with Michael Perelman by JK Fowler for The Mantle on March 19, 2011