World Association for Political Economy

WAPE [2006] No.3

Manifesto of the 1^st Forum of WAPE

(Approved at the 2^nd Session of the 1^st Council of World Association for Political Economy on April 2, 2006 and announced at the Closing Plenary of the 1^st Forum of World Association for Political Economy on April 3, 2006.)

Today the voices for and against globalization can be heard everywhere. The issue of globalization has become one of the most important questions to be studied seriously by the governments of all countries, the general public, and many scholars around the world. We are about seventy Marxist economists from 15 countries including China, the U.S.A., Japan, Russia, Germany, the U.K., France, Canada, Austria, Belgium, South Korea, Vietnam, India, Israel, and Luxemburg, who have put our heads together in Shanghai from April 2-3, 2006. After discussion of the theme of Economic Globalization and Modern Marxist Economics, we have reached a common ground as follows.

Economic globalization can be described and defined from two sides. Firstly, from the viewpoint of the productive forces and economic relations in general, the term economic globalization refers to the increasingly rapid movement of factors of production across national borders and the growing interconnection of economic activities among countries. Secondly, looking at the important characteristics of economic relations in the current period, economic globalization has reflected the increasing control and expansion of the capitalist mode of production, dominated by the United States and other developed capitalist countries. It is undesirable to formulate socioeconomic strategies and policies in accordance with a totally affirmative or negative attitude toward economic globalization.

Contemporary capitalism, which goes by such names as globalized capitalism or neoliberal capitalism, has produced a growing gap between human social and economic potential on the one hand and the actual outcomes experienced by the people of the world on the other. In some parts of the capitalist world, such as in much of Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Africa, there has been a severe economic decline in the contemporary era. In other parts of the capitalist world, some economic development has occurred, but it has been accompanied by severely negative social and economic phenomena, including growing inequality, increasing insecurity and unemployment for working people, declining social services for the population, and worsening environmental degradation. In all the countries of the world, the neoliberal form of the world economy has hindered social and economic progress. Today the global neoliberal capitalist order is facing growing problems and challenges. This is a time when change and reorientation of the world system have moved onto the agenda. Marxist political economy has an opportunity to play a significant role in the debates over the future shape of the socioeconomic systems in the world.

Neoclassical economics typically fails to offer a scientific analysis of economic systems. Instead, it serves to justify and glorify neoliberal capitalism with all of its irrational features. It has become the dominant approach to economics in most of the world, and the policies advocated by neoclassical economics have imposed vast economic costs on the people of the world and have served as a barrier to solving social and economic problems.

Marxist political economy provides the best basis for analyzing the contemporary world economy, as well as for analyzing capitalist and socialist systems. It provides a basis for finding progressive solutions to the severe problems of the current world economy. It can also point the way toward the eventual replacement of capitalism by socialism/communism throughout the world, which is necessary if humankind is to achieve its social and economic potential.

We are resolved to develop Marxist political economy and to apply it to analyze and solve the social and economic problems facing humankind in this era. To this end, we intend to build links among Marxist political economists throughout the world and to facilitate the development of common projects among them. We will strive to expand the role of modern Marxist political economy in scholarly work, public policy debates, and other arenas. While we recognize the existence of different views among Marxist political economists on certain issues, our commonalities are more important than our differences.

Marxist political economists of the world, unite!

If you agree with the Manifesto, please sign you name below:

Appendix： Name List of Agreement on Manifesto

U.S.A.: David Kotz Erwin Marquit Wadi Halabi Mehrene Larudee R.Scott Frey

Japan：Hiroshi Ohnishi Makoto Itoh Susumu Takenaga Tadasu Matsuo

Russia：Arefyev Nikolay Bessonov Boris

Germany: Eikc Kopf Ng Hong Chiok

U.K. : Simon Mohun Bruce Cronin

France: Jean-Claude Delaunay Menahem Rosen

Canada: Daniel Drache

Austria: Josef Baum Peter Fleissner

Belgium: Henri Houben

India: Vamsi Vakulabharanam

Israel: Terrence J. McDonough

Luxemburg: Ting Tek-Lee

Vietnam: Pham Van Duc

Korea Republic: JaeHoon Kim HyunOck Park

China: Cheng Enfu Zhi Xiaohe Zhang Xunhua Yang Chengxun Mao Liyan Liu Sihua He Bingmeng Yan Pengfei Xu Xingya Lin Gang

Wang Zhenzhong Li Jianping Meng Jie Gu Yaguang Xi Zhaoyong

He Ganqiang Jian Xinhua Fang Xingqi Ding Baojun Xu Chongzheng Zhang Shuzhi Li Minqi Zhu Andong He Zili Li Bingyan Hu Leming Xu Jiankang Ren Zhijun Hao Guoxi Zhang Fenglan Feng Jinhua He Yuchang Ma Yan Chen Chuanxing Gu Yumin Zhou Zhaoguang Duan Gang Ji Guibao Yu Bin Ding Xiaoqin Pan Jine Cao Yongxin Zhang Zhongren Lv Shoujun Dong Ruihua Yan Fashan Lin Qing

Yang Wei Cai Xiuling Kang Jingping Gong Xiaoying Wang Chaoke

Yu Jinfu Liu Xiaoyin Liu Zheng Liu Sihua Zhu Shuyang

Zhang Xinning