The world economy is on the brink of a profound crisis. The threat of global deflation and the emergence of chronic excess global capacity characterizes the contemporary phase of crisis and stagnation. Lucarelli argues that these pathological features of globalization acquire a remorseless logic during the 'mature' stages of monopoly capitalism. He explores the historical origins and theoretical tendencies of this protracted crisis from a Keynes/Kakecki perspective.

This text develops an original critical analysis of the origins and evolution of the euro and the current debt crisis that envelops the euro-zone. It provides a comprehensive critical historical narrative of the evolution of European Monetary Union (EMU). The history of the euro, culminating in the Maastricht blueprint in 1992, reveals that this deeply flawed monetary edifice was informed by the prevailing neoliberal/monetarist economic doctrines, favoured by Germany. The final blueprint witnessed the birth of an international currency which was devoid of a coherent sovereign power. The...