Capitalist Value Chains

The twenty-first century world economy is organized around what corporate CEOs, Wall Street investors and now nearly everyone else are accustomed to call global value chains. But what exactly are these value chains that so continuously circulate around the globe? The authors of this book reveal that these are in reality capitalist value chains. They then take you on a fascinating journey into the hidden abodes of global capitalist value chain production, exchange, and distribution, and the effects on the relations of labor and capital, Global North and Global South, and humanity and the environment. If you want to know about the political economy of global power in our time, there are hundreds of works you will want to study. But first read this book. * John Bellamy Foster, Professor of Sociology, University of Oregon, and author, The Theory of Monopoly Capitalism *Capitalist Value Chains takes a familiar concept, Global Value Chains, and approaches the empirical evidence with a newly constructed theoretical lens. Unlike most of the literature, it places capital, class struggle, collective action, and geo-politics at the center of the understanding of the expansion of capitalist production and trade. Anyone who wants a new theory of capitalism and enjoys the company of articulate, provocative, off-beat intelligences should read the book. And maybe pick a fight with it. * Robert H. Wade, Professor of Global Political Economy, London School of Economics *The results are in. The gains from globalization have been captured at the top. In clear and concise prose, Selwyn, Bernhold and Leyden explain how, and why it could not have been otherwise. Drawing on essential tools of class-relational analysis, Capitalist Value Chains is required reading for anyone who wants to understand the contemporary architecture of uneven development and the accelerated destruction of nature. * Marion Werner, Professor, Department of Geography, University at Buffalo, State University of New York *Capitalist Value Chains pushes readers to think critically about participation in global value chains as a ‘development’ tool - reminding us that the exploitation of labour and nature are deeply embedded at the core of capitalism. It shows how capitalism makes it impossible to generalise economic, social or environmental upgrading and concludes that ‘immiserating growth regimes’ can only be counteracted by a class-relational conception of labour and by collective action. * Stefano Ponte, Professor of International Political Economy, Copenhagen Business School *

Benjamin Selwyn is Professor of International Relations and International Development, Department of International Relations, University of Sussex. He researches, writes, and teaches about international political economy and development from the vantage point of capitalist value chains, food and agriculture, and labour.

Christin Bernhold is a Junior Professor of Economic and Political Geography, with a focus on Bioeconomy and Sustainability, at the University of Hamburg. She leads the research group ‘Meat The Bioeconomy’ which examines corporate strategies in the German meat industry. Her broader research interests include capitalist value chains and international class relations.

Dara Leyden is a Postdoctoral Research Associate at Queen Mary University of London, where he researches labour in the global photovoltaic industry. His PhD analyses industrial upgrading and labour regimes in electronics capitalist value chains. His research interests lie at the intersection of globalization, technology, and labour regimes.