Robinson WI and Harris - Towards a Global Ruling Class - Globalization and the Transnational C

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1、TowardsAGlobalRulingClass?GlobalizationandtheTransnationalCapitalistClassWILLIAMI.ROBINSONandJERRYHARRISPublishedinScience&Society,Vol.64,No.1,Spring2000,11–5411WewouldliketothankGiocondaRobinsonandtwoanonymousreviewersfortheircommentsonearlierdraftsofthisessay.ABSTRACT:Atransnationalcapitalistcla

2、ss(TCC)hasemergedasthatsegmentoftheworldbourgeoisiethatrepresentstransnationalcapital,theownersoftheleadingworldwidemeansofproductionasembodiedinthetransnationalcorporationsandprivatefinancialinstitutions.ThespreadofTNCs,thesharpincreaseinforeigndirectinvestment,theproliferationofmergersandacquisi

3、tionsacrossnationalborders,theriseofaglobalfinancialsystem,andtheincreasedinterlockingofpositionswithintheglobalcorporatestructure,aresomeempiricalindicatorsofthetransnationalintegrationofcapitalists.TheTCCmanagesglobalratherthannationalcircuitsofaccumulation.Thisgivesitanobjectiveclassexistencean

4、didentityspatiallyandpoliticallyintheglobalsystemaboveanylocalterritoriesandpolities.TheTCCbecamepoliticizedfromthe1970sintothe1990sandhaspursuedaclassprojectofcapitalistglobalizationinstitutionalizedinanemergenttrans-nationalstateapparatusandina“ThirdWay”politicalprogram.Theemergentglobalcapitali

5、sthistoricblocisdividedoverstrategicissuesofclassruleandhowtoachieveregulatoryorderintheglobaleconomy.Contradictionswithintherulingblocopenupnewopportunitiesforemancipatoryprojectsfromgloballabor.ITISWIDELYRECOGNIZEDTHATWORLDCAPITALISMhasbeenundergoingaperiodofprofoundrestructuringsincethe1970s,bo

6、undupwiththeworldhistoricprocessthathascometobeknownasglobalization(BurbachandRobinson,1999).Oneprocesscentraltocapitalistglobalizationistransnationalclassformation,whichhasproceededinstepwiththeinternationalizationofcapitalandtheglobalintegrationofnationalproductivestructures.Giventhetransnationa

7、lintegrationofnationaleconomies,themobilityofcapitalandtheglobalfragmentationanddecentralizationofaccumulationcircuits,classformationisprogressivelylesstiedtoterritoriality.ThetraditionalassumptionbyMarxiststhatt