Moral Economy, the State and Social Movements

This chapter offers a theoretical discussion that underpins the book. It consists of five sections, each of which focuses on a particular set of abstract ideas. The first section explicates the moral economymoral economy as both an object and a perspective. A vital distinction is made between earned and unearned incomeunearned income. Several key insights from the Polanyian double movementdouble movement are elucidated in the second section. The commodificationcommodification of money, land and labour, its dissatisfaction and harmsharms, and the complex interactions between the state and countermovementscountermovement are explored. The third section examines the statethe state as a site of contestation of social forces. The nature of neoliberal constitutionalismconstitutionalism and its focus on the rule of law are critically discussed in the fourth section. The fifth section explains how neoliberalism and regulatory capture can contribute towards criminogeniccriminogenic environments in economic sectors.