American Law in the Age of Hypercapitalism

The Worker, the Family, and the State

Nonfiction, Reference & Language, Law
Cover of the book American Law in the Age of Hypercapitalism by Ruth Colker, NYU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Ruth Colker ISBN: 9780814772188
Publisher: NYU Press Publication: March 1, 1998
Imprint: NYU Press Language: English
Author: Ruth Colker
ISBN: 9780814772188
Publisher: NYU Press
Publication: March 1, 1998
Imprint: NYU Press
Language: English

Since the fall of communism, laissez-faire capitalism has experienced renewed popularity. Flush with victory, the United States has embraced a particularly narrow and single-minded definition of capitalism and aggressively exported it worldwide. The defining trait of this brand of capitalism is an unwavering reverence for the icons of the market. Although promoted as a laissez-faire form of capitalism, it actually reflects the very evils of selfishness and greed by entrepreneurs that concerned Adam Smith.
Capitalism, however, can thrive without an extreme emphasis on efficiency and personal autonomy. Americans often forget that theirs is a rather peculiar form of capitalism, that other Western nations successfully maintain capitalistic systems that are fundamentally more balanced and nuanced in their effect on society. The unnecessarily inhumane aspects of American capitalism become apparent when compared to Canadian and Western European societies, with their more generous policies regarding affirmative action, accommodation for disabled persons, and family and medical leave for pregnant woman and their partners.
In American Law in the Age of Hypercapitalism, Ruth Colker examines how American law purports to reflect--and actively promotes--a laissez-faire capitalism that disproportionately benefits the entrepreneurial class. Colker proposes that the quality of American life depends also on fairness and equality rather than simply the single-minded and formulaic pursuit of efficiency and utility.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Since the fall of communism, laissez-faire capitalism has experienced renewed popularity. Flush with victory, the United States has embraced a particularly narrow and single-minded definition of capitalism and aggressively exported it worldwide. The defining trait of this brand of capitalism is an unwavering reverence for the icons of the market. Although promoted as a laissez-faire form of capitalism, it actually reflects the very evils of selfishness and greed by entrepreneurs that concerned Adam Smith.
Capitalism, however, can thrive without an extreme emphasis on efficiency and personal autonomy. Americans often forget that theirs is a rather peculiar form of capitalism, that other Western nations successfully maintain capitalistic systems that are fundamentally more balanced and nuanced in their effect on society. The unnecessarily inhumane aspects of American capitalism become apparent when compared to Canadian and Western European societies, with their more generous policies regarding affirmative action, accommodation for disabled persons, and family and medical leave for pregnant woman and their partners.
In American Law in the Age of Hypercapitalism, Ruth Colker examines how American law purports to reflect--and actively promotes--a laissez-faire capitalism that disproportionately benefits the entrepreneurial class. Colker proposes that the quality of American life depends also on fairness and equality rather than simply the single-minded and formulaic pursuit of efficiency and utility.

More books from NYU Press

Cover of the book Parenting Out of Control by Ruth Colker
Cover of the book The Racial Mundane by Ruth Colker
Cover of the book American Jewish Loss after the Holocaust by Ruth Colker
Cover of the book The Net Effect by Ruth Colker
Cover of the book Fat Gay Men by Ruth Colker
Cover of the book Ark Encounter by Ruth Colker
Cover of the book Latina Girls by Ruth Colker
Cover of the book Disabled Education by Ruth Colker
Cover of the book Drawdown by Ruth Colker
Cover of the book After Race by Ruth Colker
Cover of the book Past Imperfect by Ruth Colker
Cover of the book Entitled to Nothing by Ruth Colker
Cover of the book Staging Faith by Ruth Colker
Cover of the book The Passions of Law by Ruth Colker
Cover of the book An Unlikely Union by Ruth Colker
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy