"No Magic Bullets": The Lawn-Smith Debate, or Why Degrowth Cannot be Understood without a Value-Theory of Imperialism

Matković, Aleksandar (2018) "No Magic Bullets": The Lawn-Smith Debate, or Why Degrowth Cannot be Understood without a Value-Theory of Imperialism. Časopis za kritiko znanosti, domišljijo in novo antropologijo. pp. 81-98. ISSN 1318-525X

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Abstract

The article emphasizes the importance of a value-form theory of imperialism to the discourse on degrowth. To strengthen this point, the author revisits and re-evaluates the debate between Philip Lawn and Richard Smith on the concept of "steady-state" capitalism. The article argues why this topic necessitates the inclusion of both the concept of accumulation based on the centrality of the role of labour and the analysis of the organic composition of capital, which are excluded on both sides of the debate. By drawing on the work of the ecological economist Herman Daly, the author argues that these two factors must be taken into account when considering steady-state economies.

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