Subsistence and Economic Development

Development economics, the author of this volume insists, is a failed discipline because it does not recognize the revolutionary difference between subsistence and commercial social values. He aims to demonstrate that commercial labour norms are essential for producing assured food surpluses in all crop years and an assured food surplus is essential for sustaining the development process. The commercialization of food production is a political process, as in the term political economy. If peasants have a choice, they will not voluntarily perform commercial labour norms. Central governments must overcome peasant resistance to performing commercial labour norms by various forms of coercion.