Runaway Capitalism
1st Edition
Will be published approx. on 26. November 2025
Book
Hardback
206 pages
978-1-041-02927-4 (ISBN)
Description
Algorithms and artificial intelligence increasingly drive our lives, cognitive inputs supplant physical inputs in the workplace, and big philanthropies rather than governments tackle many societal problems. To examine any one of these interrelated trends alone is to miss a seismic shift in world order. By homing in on the confluence of algorithmic capitalism, cognitive capitalism, and philanthropic capitalism, this tightly argued book offers a novel interpretation of an unnoticed and understudied transformation. The three forces form a trialectic, a system that lacks effective controls and is spreading globally. Conducted on four continents, the research shows how runaway capitalism is making work and daily life ever-more precarious and sparking anti-precarity movements. Tracing these metamorphoses both in the global North and global South, the author identifies plausible scenarios for blunting the sharp edges of runaway capitalism.
Based on hard empirical data and qualitative case studies in the global North and South, Runaway Capitalism is aimed at a wide readership. Written in vivid prose, it is appropriate for university students, researchers, policy intellectuals, and a general audience interested in how to address major perils in geopolitics and economics.
Based on hard empirical data and qualitative case studies in the global North and South, Runaway Capitalism is aimed at a wide readership. Written in vivid prose, it is appropriate for university students, researchers, policy intellectuals, and a general audience interested in how to address major perils in geopolitics and economics.
Reviews / Votes
"Squarely facing the most ominous impacts of runaway capitalism--such as democratic backsliding, environmental degradation, growing disparities in wealth and wellbeing, and the crumbling of taken-for-granted social norms--Mittelman nonetheless gives us hope by sketching a constructive path toward a more humane future. This book should be required reading for anyone seeking to understand the complex social dynamics shaping our planet in the 21st century."- Manfred B. Steger, Professor and Chair of Sociology, University of Hawai'i at Manoa
"Runaway Capitalism claims we are in uncharted territory and lacking the tools needed to understand our increasingly dysfunctional capitalist world order. This insightful book not only provides us with these tools but also suggests ways in which we might get beyond our current crises. A must read for those concerned with the multiple dangers facing the global political economy today."
- J. Ann Tickner, Professor Emerita, University of Southern California
"Mittelman's Runaway Capitalism provides an original and groundbreaking analytical framework for understanding the fundamentally evolving nature of contemporary capitalism, driven by three intersecting forces: digital innovation, which fuels algorithmic capitalism; knowledge production, which underpins cognitive capitalism; and the emergence of philanthropic capitalism. It draws on rich empirical evidence from both the global North and South, offering critical insights into the dynamics of power, inequality, and transformation. Forward-looking and provocative, it is essential reading for researchers, students, policymakers, and practitioners alike."
- Arkebe Oqubay, British Academy Global Professor, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
"This vividly written and globally informed book offers a bold interpretation of the capitalist world economy's latest transformations, centring on the convergence of algorithmic, cognitive, and philanthropic forms. It provokes essential questions about power, precarity, and resistance in today's world. A timely and original contribution, it challenges readers to rethink the contours and futures of capitalism itself."
- Heikki Patomaeki, Professor of World Politics and Global Political Economy, Faculty of Social Sciences
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
College/higher education
General, Postgraduate, Undergraduate Advanced, and Undergraduate Core
Illustrations
2 s/w Zeichnungen, 2 s/w Photographien bzw. Rasterbilder, 4 s/w Abbildungen
2 Line drawings, black and white; 2 Halftones, black and white; 4 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 240 mm
Width: 161 mm
Thickness: 17 mm
Weight
514 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-041-02927-4 (9781041029274)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
James H. Mittelman
Runaway Capitalism
Book
approx. 11/2025
1st Edition
Routledge
€63.50
Not yet published
Person
James H. Mittelman is Distinguished Research Professor and University Professor Emeritus at American University.
Content
List of Illustrations Other Books by James H. Mittelman Preface and Acknowledgments Foreword by Susan L. Robertson Acronyms Introduction: Plan PART I: FRAMEWORK CHAPTER 1 The Matrix of Runaway Capitalism CHAPTER 2 Beyond Tropes, PART II: THREE FORCES CHAPTER 3 Algorithmic Capitalism CHAPTER 4 Cognitive Capitalism CHAPTER 5 Philanthropic Capitalism PART III: TOWARD A MORE HUMANE FUTURE CHAPTER 6 The Dialectic of Precarity and Anti-Precarity CHAPTER 7 The Precarious Future of Runaway Capitalism References Index