On the Economic Identification of Social Classes

First published in 1977, On the Economic Identification of Social Classes centres around the economic identification – the definition in terms of production relations – of social classes, focussing on the developed capitalist countries. The basic stages of capitalist development are considered, with special emphasis on monopoly capitalism. The book includes a detailed analysis of the functional element of the capitalist production relations; the identification, in terms of production and distribution relations, of the new middle class under monopoly capitalism; and the analysis of the process of proletarianism of this class. New theoretical concepts – of position, devaluation of labour power through dequalification of positions, and of capitalist and non-capitalist state activities – are developed to further the discussions, which, although fresh in approach, are immersed in the complex texture of Marxist thought. This book will be of interest to students of economics and sociology.