Capitalism: Its Origins and Evolution as a System of Governance
Professor Scott presents the development of capitalism as a political process, the result of conflicts among social actors, with capitalists and government officials as the main actors. While focused on the United States, this book has the great merit of showing that American capitalism was a contingent and not inevitable outcome, and that different balances of forces and different circumstances created distinct varieties of capitalism in other countries and historical moments. This book’s insights deserve careful consideration from historians, social scientists, and all those who address economic issues in the political realm.Richard Lachmann,Professor of SociologyCollege of Arts and SciencesUniversity at Albany