Analytical Marxism: (Studies in Marxism and Social Theory)

As John Roemer says in his introduction to this volume, 'During the past decade, what now appears as a new species in social theory has been forming: analytically sophisticated Marxism. Its practitioners are largely inspired by Marxian questions which they pursue with contemporary tools of logic, mathematics, and model building … These writers are, self-consciously, products of both the Marxian and non-Marxian traditions.' This volume assembles substantial and original essays, both published and unpublished, by some of the leading practitioners of 'analytical Marxism'. The essays discuss a number of the fundamental issues of Marxian thought as well as questions that conventional Marxists see no need to raise. They exemplify the ways in which analytical Marxists are beginning to reinvigorate the Marxian tradition and, in doing so, to break down the barriers that have divided it from other forms of social theory. The volume will make an excellent textbook and an ideal introduction to this new approach.

Table of Contents:
About the authors; Introduction; Part I. Historical Materialism: 1. Forces and relations of production G. A. Cohen; 2. The social basis of economic development Robert Brenner; 3. The theory of combined and uneven development: a critique Jon Elster; 4. Marxist ideas in development economics: an evaluation Pranab Bardhan; Part II. Class: 5. New directions in the Marxian theory of exploitation and class John Roemer; 6. What is middle about the middle class? Erik Olin Wright; 7. Three challenges to class Jon Elster; 8. Material interests, class compromise, and the transition to socialism; Part III. Method: 9. 'Rational choice' Marxism: some issues of method and substance John Roemer; 10. Further thoughts on Marxism, functionalism, and game theory Jon Elster; 11. Marxism and fundamental explanation G. A. Cohen; Part IV. Justice: 12. The structure of proletarian unfreedom G. A. Cohen; 13. Should Marxists be interested in exploitation? John Roemer; 14. Marx and equality Allen Wood; Bibliography.

Review :
'Analytical Marxism succeeds splendidly. The fourteen essays by eight contributors are all rigourous. Several are elegant. The collection is fruitfully interdisciplinary, with philosophy, economics, political science, history, and sociology represented.' Ethics 'Cohen, Elster, and Roemer ... have done much of what they set out to do; they have extracted the academically reputable elements of Marxism and presented them lucidly and coherently.' Alan Ryan, London Review of Books