I also can understand Wallerstein's argument...No doubt de-ruralization is
driving wages up to a certain extent. However, I think the following should
be taken into consideration.
1) The impact of de-ruralization could in fact be misleading, as far as
living standards are concerned. Certainly waged work (largely though not
exclusively in urban centres) drives up the dollar figures earned by these
workers; but we also need to consider the fact that rural workers and
campesinos have/had some ability to produce their own means of subsistence.
And as these people increasingly take on waged work, less time is devoted to
the subsistence farming etc. that previously accounted for some portion of
their livelihood. So, it is concievable that the shift to waged work drives
incomes up, while living standards either drop or remain constant.
2) If we take as a given that de-ruralization is indeed driving wages up, we
also need to consider the negative impact of capital mobility, austerity
programs etc. on wages, ie. as (often unionized) work is contracted out to
the lowest bidder. What then is the impact of this downward pressure on the
overall picture for wages worldwide?
(Note: I in no way mean to suggest that "globalization" [for lack of a
better word] is a one-way street victimizing workers worldwide. There is
indeed alot to be said for the active -- and often successful -- struggle of
workers to resist core aspects of capital's restructuring process. But
that's another discussion altogether.)
Nonetheless, I think this is an interesting thread, and it would be great to
hear from folks who have studied the global wage picture in some depth.
>>While I am sympathetic to the point W's trying to make, I'm wondering
>>what folks on this list think of his argument that 1) there is a secular
>trend
>>toward an increase in the average price of labour worldwide and 2) that
>>there is a secular trend for the average rate of profit to decrease as a
>result.
>>
>>Sid Shniad
>
>Maybe David Laibman can speak to this. He gave a presentation based on his
>new book at the Brecht Forum last year and made an identical point about
>rising wages that I also found startling. I suspect that Dave is
>incommunicado for the next couple of days at the big International
>Conference on Value Theory at the Crowne Royal hotel in NYC. I heard from
>sombody that they finally solved that gosh-darned transformation and have a
>news conference scheduled for Monday morning when they will announce the
>solution to the world.
>
>Louis Proyect
>
>
>
-----
Brian Green |
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
