Mar 15, 2024

Choice Outstanding Academic Title in Economics

Bristol University Press is delighted to announce that From Capital to Commons - Exploring the Promise of a World beyond Capitalism, by Hannes Gerhardt, has been selected as one of the Outstanding Academic Titles in Economics by Choice in 2023.

This prestigious list reflects the best in scholarly titles, both print and digital, reviewed by Choice during the previous year and brings with it the extraordinary recognition of the academic library community. The list is quite selective, containing approximately ten percent of some 5,000 works reviewed annually in Choice.

In naming a work an Outstanding Academic Title, the editors apply several criteria:

-overall excellence in presentation and scholarship

-importance relative to other literature in the field

-distinction as a first treatment of a given subject in book or electronic form

-originality or uniqueness of treatment

-value to undergraduate students

-importance in building undergraduate library collections

In his stimulating analysis, Hannes Gerhardt outlines the potentials and challenges of a technology-enabled, commons-focused transition out of capitalism.

The book shows that openness and cooperation are more beneficial in today’s economies and societies than competition and profit-seeking. Driven by this conviction, Gerhardt identifies key imperatives for overcoming capitalism, from democratizing our digital, material, and financial economies to maintaining a robust, political mobilization. Using clear examples, he explores tactical openings through the lens of ‘compeerism’, a newly constructed framework that highlights the latent counter-capitalist possibilities, but also limits, of our emerging technological landscape.

This is an accessible contribution to counter-capitalist discourse that is both inspiring and pragmatic for academics and activists alike.

Find out more about the book. For journal reviews and media requests, please contact bahar.muller@bristol.ac.uk.