Labour and consumption. A new opportunity for capitalism resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic
Open Access
- 22 December 2020
- journal article
- Published by Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Sociales y Humanidades desde America Latina in Religación
- Vol. 5 (26), 188-198
- https://doi.org/10.46652/rgn.v5i26.735
Abstract
The article presents a philosophical discussion about how the economic restructuring after the COVID-19 recession is based on two main factors: labour precariousness and consumption stimulation. From a review of data and literature about global economic growth and incomes from big companies like Amazon, it is possible to suggest that capitalism is facing a decline yet not a structural crisis. Nonetheless, labour after the outbreak is damaged by the application of flexibilization and informality – particularly telecommuting and immaterial labour – as seen in countries like Ecuador, Italy, India, and United States. Also, companies and governments are calling for a boost of consumption to save the economy based on fiscal policies, consumerism, and a ‘cleaning’ of consumption. In conclusion, a theoretical alternative is a microphysics of struggle understood as a politicization of the private space and a re-definition of labour as a material activity that requires better conditions for workers.Keywords
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