Abstract

Political constitutions alone do not guarantee democracy; a degree of economic equality is also essential. Yet contemporary economies, dominated as they are by global finance and political rent-seekers, often block the realization of democracy. The comparative essays and case studies of this volume examine the contradictory relationship between the economy and democracy and highlight the struggles and visions needed to make things more equitable. They explore how our collective aspirations for greater democracy might be informed by serious empirical research on the human economy today. If we want a better world, we must act on existing social realities.

Keith Hart is International Director of the Human Economy Programme at the University of Pretoria. His recent books include The Human Economy: A Citizen's Guide, Economic Anthropology, People, Money and Power in the Economic Crisis and Money in a Human Economy.

“Economy for and Against Democracy is a must-read for economists, political scientists, anthropologists, and anyone interested in the true meaning of democracy and searching for initiatives to promote a more democratic world society.” • International Social Science Review

“[This book] sets out debates and insights that have been long forgotten in social science as a result of the domination of orthodox economics. Absent is the arcane mathematical formalism that commands mainstream enquiry into economics; in these chapters, the study of economics speaks to – and of – people and their daily struggles. In a phrase not to be killed with over-use: this is a liberating read.” • Peter Vale, University of Johannesburg