The Spiral of Capitalism and Socialism: Toward Global Democracy |
At the core of this book is the argument that, though the word "socialism" is widely held in disdain in the current discourse about the world's past and its future, the idea of socialism as collective rationality and popular democracy is far from dead. Boswell and Chase-Dunn describe a spiral of capitalism and socialism—of economic expansion and social progress—that creates repeated opportunities for positive transformation at the global level. They contend that social democracy is both desirable and possible at the level of the world-system. And they present a straight-forward, compelling case in support of that contention. The first section of the book explains the structural dynamics of the world-system. The second explores the great failures, and the limited successes, that were the outcome of efforts to build a state socialist "second world." A final section addresses the possible futures of the world-system and, especially, how to move realistically toward global democracy. Terry Boswell is professor of sociology at Emory University. He is author of America's Changing Role in the World-System and Revolution in the World-System. Christopher Chase-Dunn is professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University. His recent publications include CONTENTS: |
| January 2000/270 Pages ISBN: 1-55587-824-5 HC $55.00 ISBN: 1-55587-849-0 PB $23.50 LC: 99-16269 Power and Social Change: Studies in Political Sociology |
| Last updated 06/01/99 Lynne Rienner Publishers: (303) 444-6684 URL: http://www.rienner.com/viewbook.cfm?bookid=460 |
