Capital intensity, unproductive activities and the Great Recession in the US economy

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to show that the ‘great recession’ of 2007 in the USA is of the classical type with basic features the rising value composition of capital which more than fully offset the rising rate of surplus-value giving rise to a falling rate of profit. The tendential fall of the latter, from a point onwards, led to a nearly stagnant mass of real net profits, thereby decreased net investment and eventually impacted on employment. The evolution of capital intensity and the consequences of unproductive activities remain key issues in the discussions of capital accumulation and its periodic ruptures.