Title: Scarcity or economic insecurity? Two yardsticks for measuring capitalism's performance

Authors: Costas Panayotakis

Addresses: New York City College of Technology, City University of New York, 300 Jay Street, Room N611, Brooklyn, NY 11201, USA

Abstract: This article argues that capitalism's relationship to economic insecurity is as important for the evaluation of that system as its relationship to scarcity. Critically analysing the neoclassical and Marxist focus on capitalism's relationship to scarcity, the article describes how capitalism's relationship to economic insecurity offers a more cogent elaboration of these traditions' shared belief that the economic system should serve people. In particular, while critical of the neoclassical portrayal of capitalism as a system using scarce resources efficiently, this paper also argues, against Marxism, that an alternative to capitalism might be preferable even if scarcity is not abolished.

Keywords: capitalism; ecology; economic insecurity; Marxism; neoclassical economics; scarcity.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPEE.2021.120135

International Journal of Pluralism and Economics Education, 2021 Vol.12 No.2, pp.114 - 128

Received: 04 Mar 2021
Accepted: 30 Aug 2021
Published online: 07 Jan 2022 *

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