This workshop started from 17th June 1995. It aims at promoting cooperative research works on the structural changes in contemporary capitalism in the light of recent theories of political economy. It also intends to push forward researches in both basic and intermediary theories in political economy in view of recent capitalism.
One of the focal points in the structural changes in capitalist economy since the 1970s has been the impact of micro-electronics (ME) information technologies. ME technologies were broadly incorporated in workplace under the pressure of protracted economic difficulties, and reintensified competition among capitalist firms in many ways. The monetary and financial system has also been widely restructured. All these changes have revitalized both globally and domestically the competitive market economy, but simultaneously increased its instability. The restructuring of capitalism through the information revolution may thus be causing a historical reversal over a century for a more competitive free market. The basic theory of capitalism would then reinforce its relevancy as a frame of reference to many aspects of contemporary economic situations.
The members of the workshop have more or less in common these hypothetical perspectives as well as an academic background in the Marx-Uno theories. The number of members is now sixteen. The workshop had six discussion meetings in a common research room in our faculty building on the reports as follows;
2. 29th August 1995: Makoto Itoh (The University of Tokyo), "Capitalism in a Backward Flow and the Methodology for the Theory of Contemporary Capitalism".
3. 22nd December 1995: Makoto Noguchi (The Bunkyo University), "On Counterattacks by Marx".
4. 23rd March 1996: Atsusi Shimizu (The Musashi University), "Marx's Theory of Money in the History of Economic Theories".
Makoto Nishibe (The Hokkaido University), "The Multi-Levels Adjustment Mechanism of a Market Economy".
5. 13th July 1996: Hideaki Tanaka (The Shiga University), "Uncertainty in the Process of Circulation and the Market System".
6. 24th September 1996: Makoto Nishibe (The Hokkaido University), "Three Stages of Internalization of Labour-Power".
Michiaki Obata (The University of Tokyo), "Co-operation and the Division of Labour".
Through these meetings, an idea to work out a series of books on economic theories and contemporary capitalism has grown. A publisher, Ochanomizu-shobo is interested in the idea, and basically agrees to publish three books in a series. Tentatively the common title of the series will be "Marxian Political Economy I, II, III", and the titles of each volume will be as follows;
I. Instability of Contemporary Capitalism.
II. Information Technologies and Economic Instability.
III. Economic Fluctuations and Capitalism
We are going to make up more substantial plans for these volumes, including the concrete plans of chapters, toward the end of this year. Our cooperative research interest in this workshop will thus be more concentrated in jointly writing these books. The manuscripts will probably be ready within 1997 so as to be published in 1998.
The next meeting of the workshop is scheduled on 20th December 1996.
(September 1996)