Economic Elites, Crises, and Democracy

Economic Elites, Crises, and Democracy analyzes critical topics of contemporaneous capitalism. Andres Solimano, President of the International Center for Globalization and Development, focuses on economic elites and the super rich, the nature of entrepreneurship, the rise of corporate's technostructure, the internal fragmentation of the middle class, and the marginalization of the working poor. While examining historical episodes of economic and financial crises from the 19th century to the present, he reviews a variety of related economic theories and policies, including austerity, which have been enacted in attempts to overcome these crises. Solimano also examines patterns of international mobility of capital and knowledge elites along with the rise of global social movements and migration diasporas. The book ends with an analysis of the concept, modalities, and potential areas of the application of economic democracy to reform 21st century global capitalism.Chapter 1. Introduction and Guide to the Book ; PART A. ELITES, ENTREPRENEURS AND THE MIDDLE CLASS: THE TOP 1 PERCENT AND THE REST ; Chapter 2. Economic Elites and the Super Rich in the 21st century ; Chapter 3. Productive elites? On Entrepreneurship, the Technostructure and Social Mobility ; Chapter 4. The Fragmentation of the Middle Class in the Neoliberal Era ; PART B. ECONOMIC CRISIS AND THE INSTABILITY OF FINANCIAL CAPITALISM ; Chapter 5. Stories of Financial Crisis and Austerity from the 19th to the 21st Century ; Chapter 6. Making Sense of Crises in Capitalism: An Overview of Theories and Approaches ; PART C. Elites and Diaspora Migration in Global Capitalism ; Chapter 7. The International Circulation of Elites and Global Social Movements ; Chapter 8. Migrant Diasporas, Development and the Attachment to National Identity ; PART D. ECONOMIC DEMOCRACY AND THE 99 PERCENT ; Chapter 9.Can Capitalism Afford Economic Democracy? ; Chapter 10. Epilogue: What Reforms to Neoliberal Capitalism and Current Globalization?