The Global Origins of Capitalism Power, Productivity, and the Evolution of Modern Market Societies
Yochai Benkler provides a major reinterpretation of both how economies work and the entire history of capitalism. The history of modern capitalism, he shows, is fundamentally about the interplay between power and productivity. The pursuit of power to escape competition and control resources, labor, knowledge, and markets drives both innovation and exploitation. These imperatives increase productivity while constantly reshaping power relations. Drawing from a broad range of thinkers who placed power, institutions, and the ceaseless search for growth at the center of capitalism's history, Benkler's political-economy approach reshapes our understanding of economic history.