Each anniversary of Russia’s 1917 October Revolution (November 7 in the new style calendar) offers an opportunity to reflect on the global significance of that historic event. For some, it is a c
Tag: Marxism
“Getting More Than They Earned”? Reflections on Safronov’s Great Soviet Economy
In my most recent project on Serbia’s Productivity and Wage Dynamics, I analyzed the long-term relationship between real wages and labor productivity, demonstrating that despite periods of wage g
Whataboutism as a Marxist Tool: Challenging Hegemony and Rebuilding the Left
Whataboutism: A Marxist critique of hegemonic narratives Critics of whataboutism often accuse it of nihilism, relativism, or a lack of moral courage to take a “just” position. But this
Foreign Direct Investment: The Opium for Development
A Marxist Take on Investment Hopes Last week I presented our research (with Boris Kagarlitsky) at the annual meeting of the Armenian Economic Association in Yerevan. The research takes the Marxist
Russia’s Delinking from the West: The Great Equalizer
In this post, I discuss the recent trend towards more income equality in Russia. Mainstream economics explain it by the country’s transition to war economy. I apply Marxist analysis to demonstrat
Dependency Theory After 50 Years: Development, United Nations, War in Ukraine and the Global Fragmentation
This book by the prominent Argentinian economist Claudio Katz explores the contemporary relevance of the dependency theory: to what extent does it explain today’s world? Dependency theory: the fu
In memoriam Walt Rostow
Walt Whitman Rostow died 20 years ago. His was a life of turns and twists, incredible career achievements and falls. Coming from the humble background of a Russian Jewish immigrant family, he did h