Institutional Change in Social Structures of Accumulation Theory: An Anti-essentialist Approach

Abstract

This paper argues for the need to recast Social Structures of Accumulation (SSA) debates regarding the relevance of contradictions other than that between capital and labor, as well as regarding the terms of the political struggle in times of SSA decay, in the light of the concepts of overdetermination and hegemony. To that extent, it introduces the notions of “necessary social peace for surplus-value extraction” and “accumulation of unsatisfied demands over the accumulation process.”

From Social Structures to Techno-Economic Paradigms: Comparison of Four Phases of Capitalism Theories

“…However, in the new formulation of the theory, this kind of freedom is not found, because every liberal phase should be followed by a regulated one and vice versa. Unsurprisingly, Rey Araujo (2018) criticized this reformulation because of this historical determinism. On the contrary, in the techno-economic paradigm approach, technological innovations are needed for a new phase and a new technoeconomic paradigm.…”

The Contradictory Evolution of “Mediterranean” Neoliberalism in Spain, 1995–2008

“…In sum, we understand that, first, the “pacifying” role of institutions must not be restricted to capitalism’s “core” contradictions (i.e., inter-class conflict and intra-class competition) but concerns as well the manifold conflicts that pervade any capitalist society (Lippit 2005; Rey-Araújo 2018). Second, while both the issues at stake and the agents involved in political struggles cannot be read off straightforwardly from underlying capitalist dynamics, neither of these domains are wholly unrelated, as the historical evolution of the latter shapes and constrains the terrain where the former ultimately operate (Rey-Araújo 2019).…”

“…A successful SSA, in order to qualify as such, needs to guarantee its own long-term reproduction, which not only requires repressing the irreducible crisis tendencies it harbors at a given time and place, as indicated in the previous section, but also to secure a level of social peace high enough for it not to be disrupted by widespread contestation (Rey-Araújo 2018). There is therefore a relation of relative autonomy between the two levels.…”

Social Structures of Accumulation in a Semiperiphery Country

“…According to Lippit (2010: 55), “the idea of overdetermination suggests that institutions are never entirely disparate entities, that each is shaped by and incorporates elements of the other institutions and social forces with which it interacts.” Lippit not only emphasizes the mutual determination between national and international institutions, but also claims that nonclass relations such as race, gender, and culture can be decisive in SSA formations. These institutions or struggles can also be considered integral parts of capitalist hegemony (Rey-Araujo 2018; Robinson 2005). In other words, such factors might not be isolated from class struggles in the Gramscian sense, which claims that the capitalist state(s) can use them to maintain control in an SSA.…”