Survival in the Wake of Crisis

Sreeram Chaulia brings out a new survival guide to the global economic crisis that goes beyond the economics of crisis and suggests political mechanisms for social survival and recovery from the crisis. He puts forth the idea of three ‘R’s—state ‘regulation’ of financial sector, state ‘responsibility’ towards society and ‘radicalism’ in the form of social movements against injustice. This book is a collection of his essays published in leading international and Indian dailies that touch upon the three ‘R’s of survival. Although these opinion pieces cover the crisis period starting from the crash of 2008 until the end of 2012, most of them pertain to the early phase of the crisis. Nevertheless, his analysis and prescriptions offer rich understanding of the politics of the global downturn and propose a vision for a responsible state that serves not only economic but also social good. The book conducts a rigorous audit of the political systems of western countries and explores the nexus between the neoliberal states and the financial oligarchy to show that agents of the state have equated national and public interest with the commercial interests of the specific private enterprises.