The Creation of Wealth and Poverty Means and Ways

The Creation of Wealth and Poverty is a study of the means and ways by which wealth and poverty are created in both developed and developing countries. It puts a particular emphasis on the role played by economic policy in shaping the stratification of modern societies through specific programmes dealing with issues of job creation, poverty and environmental degradation. This book is concerned with the social effects of the ongoing crisis in finance, development and the environment. By focusing on the political, legal and financial institutions that govern society and the economy, the book provides an analysis of wealth and poverty from a historical perspective. It shows how economic and social policies of the neoliberal model have led to a rise in unemployment, poverty and inequality and, therefore, made societies more polarized.This volume will be of great interest to policymakers, academics and students who study political economy, development economics and macroeconomics.

Introduction1 The State, the Market and Management of Class RelationsIntroduction The Primitive State and its Economic RoleThe Neoliberal State and the Policies of PauperizationConclusion2 Democracy in Government: The Power of PolicymakingIntroductionDemocracy in Government: Economic and Social DemocracyConclusion3 Private Wealth … and Public DebtIntroductionOf Assets and LiabilitiesPublic Policy and the Creation of WealthConclusion4 Full Employment versus ScarcityIntroduction Austerity and the Creation of Artificial ScarcityThe Necessity of Full EmploymentConclusion5 Innovation, Ownership and ProgressIntroductionHumanity’s Great Leap Forward: Innovation and the Role of the StateThe Commodification of Knowledge and the Prospects of Progress Conclusion6 Industrialization Backwardness, International Trade and FinanceIntroductionThe Weight of History, the Great Divergence and Industrial PolicyThe Power of Finance: Removing the External ConstraintConclusion7 Industrialization and the Environmental CrisisIntroductionThe Fossil Economy and the Rise of Capitalist IndustrializationThe Green Economy as AlternativeConclusion

Hassan Bougrine holds a PhD from the University of Ottawa and has been teaching at Laurentian University for nearly 30 years where he is currently the Chair of the Economics Department. He has been a Visiting Professor and scholar at many institutions in Latin America, Europe and Africa.