Pluralism and political economy in interwar britain: G.D.H. Cole on economic planning

Carlos Suprinyak

No 609, Textos para Discussão Cedeplar-UFMG from Cedeplar, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

Abstract: The political philosophy of pluralism enjoyed great currency in Britain during the early decades of the 20th century, as an alternative to the extreme poles of individualism and collectivism. Positing the existence of multiple types of political allegiances in any society, pluralism questioned the notion of state sovereignty by advocating that other forms of associational life should be recognized as legitimate sources of political power. In an age of increasing state intervention in economic affairs, however, this fragmentation of power concerned political economy as well. The paper explores the interplay between political claims for a weaker state and economic claims for a stronger state through a case study of G.D.H. Cole, the foremost British advocate of guild socialism and a prolific writer on economic planning. While defending the cause of democratic industrial self-management, Cole envisioned stateled economic planning as a transitional device for developing the communal loyalties necessary for a well-functioning socialist economy.

Keywords: pluralism; state sovereignty; economic planning; G.D.H. Cole; democracy. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 18 pages
Date: 2019-09
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-his, nep-hme, nep-hpe and nep-pol
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Chapter: Pluralism and Political Economy in Interwar Britain: G. D. H. Cole on Economic Planning (2021)
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