MODCAR and ‘the new spirit OF Capitalism’ DAVID ADLER
invited discourse jockey, economics writer and critic
104
In their book, “The New Spirit of Capitalism,” the French economic sociologists Luc Boltanski and Eve Chiapello argue capitalism has entered a 3rd phase characterized by a network based form of organization made up of autonomous agents. They argue that capitalism has now “abandoned the Fordist hierarchal work structure of the 1970s,” characteristic of 2nd phase capitalism. Boltanski and Chiapello’s analysis, though written for a French audience, has applications to understanding contemporary management science, artistic practice, and urban planning. As they write, “we are witnessing the formation of a new city where the tests that matter involve loosening or strengthening connections in a network world.” And central to this new city, and the network world, is the project.