Escape from the Staple Trap: Canadian Political Economy after Left Nationalism
© 2015
From fur and fish to oil and minerals, Canadian development has often been understood through its relationship to export staples. This understanding, argues Paul Kellogg, has led many political economists to assume that Canadian economic development has followed a path similar to those of staple-exporting economies in the Global South, ignoring a more fundamental fact: as an advanced capitalist economy, Canada sits in the core of the world system, not on the periphery or semi-periphery.
In Escape from the Staple Trap, Kellogg challenges statistical and historical analyses that present Canada as weak and disempowered, lacking sovereignty and economic independence. A powerful critique of the dominant trend in Canadian political economy since the 1970s, Escape from the Staple Trap offers an important new framework for understanding the distinctive features of Canadian political economy.
Product Details
- World Rights
- Page Count: 304 pages
- Dimensions: 6.1in x 0.9in x 9.0in
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Reviews
‘Kellogg’s book has done a great service in illuminating a great, yet largely unremarked upon, trend of post-war Canadian history: the emergence of two distinct and competing groups of (English speaking) Canadian nationalists.’
Dimitry Anastakis
LRC May 2016‘Kellogg’s book is well researched, reflecting a sophisticated grasp of a large body of theoretical and empirical literature.’
Robin Chang
Labour / Le Travail vol 79‘This is a well-written, well-structured and convincing argument against the "staples" approach to Canadian political economy. Overall, this book is important, worthwhile and (mostly) rigorous.’
Elaine Coburn
Canadian Journal of Political Science vol 51:01:2018“Escape from the Staple Trap marshals a wide-ranging body of empirical material in an adept manner. It would be easy to get lost in the nuances of the sprawling literature on Canadian political economy, but Kellogg skilfully avoids this danger.”
Thom Workman, Department of Political Science, University of New Brunswick“Paul Kellogg has gathered together and analysed important economic data that challenge many of the dominant myths about Canada and its place in the world. A significant contribution to the theorization of national development and a critique of global hierarchies created by capitalist accumulation, this book is an example of critical scholarship at its best.”
Sandra Rein, Political Studies Program, University of Alberta, Augustana“Escape from the Staple Trap makes diligent use of long-term statistical trends to intervene in the debates surrounding the issues that are central to Canadian political economy.”
James Lawson, Department of Political Science, University of Victoria -
Author Information
Paul Kellogg is an associate professor in the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies at Athabasca University. -
Table of contents
Chapter 1 – Introducing the Argument
Chapter 2 – One of These Things is not Like the Other
Chapter 3 – From Levitt to Watkins to You
Chapter 4 – Something Rings Hollow
Chapter 5 – Of Nails and Needles
Chapter 6 – Canada as a Principal Economy
Chapter 7 – A Very Canadian Bourgeoisie
Chapter 8 – Escape from the Staple Trap
Conclusion
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Subjects and Courses
