Varietals of Capitalism - (Cornell Studies in Political Economy) by Xabier Itçaina & Antoine Roger & Andy Smith (Hardcover)

About the Book

Varietals of Capitalism shows that politics is an omnipresent part of the economics of wine and of economic activity in general. Based on a four-year research project encompassing fieldwork in France, Spain, Italy, and Romania, Xabier Itçaina, Antoine Roger, and Andy Smith examine the causes and effects of a 2008 reform adopted by the EU.

Book Synopsis

Varietals of Capitalism shows that politics is an omnipresent part of the economics of wine and of economic activity in general. Based on a four-year research project encompassing fieldwork in France, Spain, Italy, and Romania, Xabier Itçaina, Antoine Roger, and Andy Smith examine the causes and effects of a radical reform adopted at the EU level in 2008. Regulatory change politically transformed the rationale of EU support to the wine industry, from shaping the supply side to encouraging producers to adapt to the demands of a supposedly "new consumer."To explain the adoption and impact of the reform, the authors develop an analytical framework to capture the actors--their perceptions, preferences, and interdependencies--within an industry crisscrossed by institutions located at the global, European, national, and local scales. This framework combines concepts and lessons from historical institutionalism and regulationist economics, Bourdieu's field theory, and the sociology of public policymaking. The authors reject accounts that attribute policy change simply to material determinants and "the invisible hand of the market." They emphasize the crucial importance of institutions within sectors of the economy, and propose ways to bolster constructivist approaches to political economy by linking industrial change to scientific and bureaucratic balances of power. This book's novel focus on different levels of institutional impact should prove influential in the study of the politics of industry, and more broadly within the comparative analysis of capitalism.

Review Quotes

Varietals of Capitalism is an important and interesting read for those who are interested in institutional processes, regulatory reform, and industry dynamics well beyond the case study of wine. The empirical chapters are very rich in detail and structured along a clear theoretical path.

About the Author

Xabier Itçaina is a research fellow at the CNRS-Centre Emile Durkheim, Sciences Po Bordeaux, University of Bordeaux. He is coeditor of Politics of Religion in Western Europe: Modernities in Conflict? and author of two books in French. Antoine Roger is Professor of Political Science at Centre Emile Durkheim, Sciences Po Bordeaux, University of Bordeaux, and the author or editor of several books in French. Andy Smith is Research Professor in Political Science at Centre Emile Durkheim, Sciences Po Bordeaux, University of Bordeaux. He is coeditor of Industries and Globalization: The Political Causality of Difference and The EU's Government of Industries: Markets, Institutions and Politics.