The Athenian economy in light of the welfare stateKarl Polanyi's work in perspective

Resumo

Karl Polanyi considered that the relationship between the markets and their societies was a central feature of any social order. He studied what he called 'ancient societies,' to compare them with his own times, in an effort to understand that subject. This paper aims to show, following Polanyi's work on Classical Greece, that it is possible to make a clear analogy between the Athenian state and economy with the modern Welfare State. First, we present Polanyi's Study of the early Athenian economy, focusing on the coexistence of a kind of state economic planning and a market. Second, we show how this relates to Polanyi's emphasis in the comparison of different societies and times. Third, we characterize the contemporary Welfare State to make an analogy between these two forms of economic organization. We conclude by underlining the relevance of this analogy in understanding the societies of today.

Ficha do documento

Tipo

Artigo científico

Ano

2009

Instituição

M E Sharpe Inc

Fonte

Repositório da FGV

Idioma

Inglês

Acesso

Acesso restrito

DOI

10.2753/JEI0021-3624430302

Identificador

oai:repositorio.fgv.br:10438/23143

Temas

Economia

Palavras-chave

Karl PolanyiEmbeddednessClassical Greek economyWelfare stateEconomiaEconomia - Grecia - História