Państwo wobec grup dominujących w gospodarce – perspektywa instytucjonalnej ekonomii politycznej
The State and Groups of Influence in the Economy. The institutional-political perspective

Author(s): Anna Ząbkowicz
Subject(s): Economy, National Economy, Micro-Economics, Public Finances, Socio-Economic Research
Published by: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego
Keywords: economic theories; capitalism; polity; corporations; financialization; democratic welfare state
Summary/Abstract: The book dwells on views and cognitive apparatus worked out in this strand of social thought where collective action and particular groups interests carry weight. It claims that such theorizing leads to the substance of economic activities in our surroundings more certainly than methodological individualism does. In most compact way, the contents of this book can be characterized by referring to a couple of research perspectives, and the scope of its theoretical background can be marked by several great researchers‘ names. Firstly, deeper understanding of economic performance, as Douglas C. North and his followers argue, requires consideration of economic activities as well as polity, where property rights and incentives structure are determined. Secondly, public and economic policies can not be regarded to be exclusively government’s domain, being to some extent the outcome of activities of organized interests and group interest representations. As Wolfgang Streeck put it, “capitalism is under renegotiation”. The contemporary democratic polity sees representations of labour interests, non-governmental organizations, etc. However, as John K. Galbraith points out in some of his works, the axis of renegotiation in capitalism has been constituted by relations between contemporary state and organized groups of mighty enterprises, “corporations”. These business groups (“business” in broad sense), apart of winning profits, can influence economic outcomes. The latter means economic power. Profit-oriented groupings or “corporations”, according to Susan Strange, exert impact simply because of weight and position they have in economic structure either intentionally, via their organizations and lobbyists in the polity. That’s why they penetrate society as a whole, not economic economic activities alone. In result, contract relations and respect for financial surplus overcome social relations. Argumentation thus oriented is backed by description of real processes. The corresponding parts of the book contain short studies on financialization, narrow interest representations and contemporary transformation of democratic welfare state which is a debt state in fact. Old theories inspire understanding of new configurations.

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