Why and How Do Capitalists Divide Labour? From Marglin and Back again through Babbage and Marx

Bruno Tinel

Review of Political Economy, 2013, vol. 25, issue 2, 254-272

Abstract: Nearly four decades ago, Stephen Marglin explored the origins of hierarchy in capitalist production with a divide and conquer hypothesis based on the idea that the monopolisation of knowledge about production technology plays a major role in explaining how workers are deprived of control over the labour process. Nevertheless, this explanation has some shortcomings that Marx and Babbage had avoided. Those two authors provided a highly accurate and convincing interpretation of the division of labour that remains relevant. The present paper proposes a general synthesis of their analysis. Two points are emphasised: (1) the division of labour plays a major role in wage determination; and (2) the division of labour largely determines the form of subjection of labour to capital.

Date: 2013
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DOI: 10.1080/09538259.2013.775825

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