Wendy Brown and Lisa Rofel

Rethinking Capitalism is a non-profit Initiative that works in conjunction with UC Santa Cruz. Like other institutions and research groups founded in the wake of the recent economic turmoil, the goal of Rethinking Capitalism is to reconsider the liquidity crisis and imagine what comes after. What distinguishes our project is the foundational premise that exploring the full range of “capitalist futures” requires a critical, multidisciplinary understanding of derivatives, speculation and financial markets. The Project aspires to create conceptual and empirical tools of economic practice and regulation, both locally and globally, that give capitalism a future that may diverge from its past. In practical terms, the project comprises a triple commitment: to advance interdisciplinary research on political economy and finance; to foster a community of academics, regulators, and practitioners; and to promulgate the best ideas in this emerging field to broader audiences.