Chapter 4 Chapter Summary

This chapter is concerned with the enormous inequalities that face the world today. It explores critical political economy approaches to development that are inspired by Karl Marx’s critique of political economy itself. The authors suggest that it is not possible to understand global inequalities without understanding the dynamics of capitalist development, especially in terms of the ways in which exploitation and oppression intersect within it. The chapter goes beyond discussing the critical theory of capitalist economy to exploring how analytical frameworks have been shaped by political movements grounded in struggles for liberation.