New Books in Economics

Quinn Slobodian and Philip J. Stern on Political Economy

Jun 5, 2025
Quinn Slobodian, a Wellesley College history professor and author of 'Crack-Up Capitalism,' teams up with Philip J. Stern, an associate professor at Duke University known for 'Empire, Incorporated.' They delve into the roles of corporations in shaping governance and democracy, highlighting the East India Company's nuanced history. The conversation unpacks 'archipelago capitalism' and critiques oversimplified narratives of colonialism, examining how imaginative economic theories influence real-world practices and state power dynamics.
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INSIGHT

Corporations Shaped Empire Governance

  • The British Empire was deeply shaped by corporations playing governance roles beyond typical state functions.
  • Empire Incorporated describes a merged empire of state and corporate interests across centuries.
INSIGHT

Fragmented Capitalism and Democracy's Challenge

  • Special economic zones reveal capitalism's inherent fragmentation inside and beyond nation-states.
  • Some entrepreneurs embrace this fragmentation as a path to diminishing traditional democratic governance.
INSIGHT

Early Modernists' Elliptical Style

  • Early modern historians use an anecdote-rich, elliptical writing style to convey complex histories.
  • This contrasts with modern historians' more direct, thesis-driven approaches.
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