• Monthly Review
  • Monthly Review Press
  • Climate & Capitalism
  • Money on the Left
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Mastadon
MR Online
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact/Submission
  • Browse
    • Recent Articles Archive
    • by Subject
      • Ecology
      • Education
      • Imperialism
      • Inequality
      • Labor
      • Literature
      • Marxism
      • Movements
      • Philosophy
      • Political Economy
    • by Region
      • Africa
      • Americas
      • Asia
      • Australasia
      • Europe
      • Global
      • Middle East
    • by Category
      • Art
      • Commentary
      • Interview
      • Letter
      • News
      • Newswire
  • Monthly Review Essays

About Martin Hart-Landsberg

Martin Hart-Landsberg is Professor Emeritus of Economics at Lewis and Clark College, Portland, Oregon; and Adjunct Researcher at the Institute for Social Sciences, Gyeongsang National University, South Korea. His areas of teaching and research include political economy, economic development, international economics, and the political economy of East Asia. He is also a member of the Workers' Rights Board (Portland, Oregon) and maintains a blog Reports from the Economic Front where this article first appeared.
  • Trade in components showing three interrelated production hubs

    The uneasy U.S.-China relationship: what lies ahead?

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on April 7, 2019 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    The U.S. and China are the two dominant poles in the global economy, as illustrated in the figure below which traces the global trade in parts and components.

  • Trump building in Chicago, IL. Photo by Eric Muhr.

    Lots of noise from Trump but nothing changed for U.S. multinational corporations

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on March 25, 2019 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    Bank of France: “Six small jurisdictions (Bermuda, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Singapore and Switzerland), which count for less than 1 percent of the world’s population, hold 63 percent of the overall profits earned abroad by U.S. multinationals.”

  • Robotics and youth unemployment in China (cc Photo: CNBC.com)

    China has an unemployment problem

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on March 10, 2019 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    Strikingly few discussions of China’s declining growth trajectory include mention of the country’s unemployment rate. Unfortunately, this official rate is worthless as an indicator of the China’s labor market conditions. In reality, China likely has a serious and growing unemployment problem.

  • TNCs - The globalisation of Planet Earth

    Capitalist globalization is not unwinding: TNCs continue to increase their power and profits

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on March 1, 2019 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    The Great Recession of 2008 marked the end of a lengthy period of international economic growth and rapidly increasing international trade. Now, some ten years later, economic activity, including trade and foreign direct investment, remains far below pre-crisis levels with little sign of revival.

  • Would Donald Trump win an election today? - BBC News

    The Trump tax plan proves a bonanza for business

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on February 17, 2019 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    In sum, thanks to the Trump tax plan, trillions of dollars that could have been used to transform our transportation and energy infrastructure, industrial structure, and system of social services are instead being transferred to big businesses, who use them for speculative activities and to further enrich their already wealthy managers and stock holders.

  • Governor Scott Walker Attends Official Deal Signing For New Foxconn Factory

    Foxconn: playing fast and loose in Wisconsin

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on February 2, 2019 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    When state and local governments bid for corporate investment, working people lose. It is as simple as that. And Foxconn’s on-again, off-again, and on-again shrinking investment in Wisconsin is a case in point.

  • Despite offering significant benefits, Union membership continues to decline

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on January 19, 2019 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    The Bureau of Labor Statistics just published its latest news release on union membership. Unfortunately, the downward trend continues.

  • 4 ways millennials are way better with money than older people ... MarketWatch

    Millennials: hit hard and fighting back

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on December 31, 2018 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    A lot has been written and said critical of millennials. The business press has been tough on their spending habits.

  • 2018 midterm elections: Americans can't agree what the big issues ... Vox

    Politics in America

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on December 16, 2018 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    U.S. elected leaders, and those that work for them, think their constituents are far more conservative than they are. The good news is that this means there is far more support for a progressive political agenda than one might think.

  • 7 Expert Predictions For The State Of The Economy In 2018 Finance and Markets

    The U.S. economy: monopolized product markets and precarious work

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on December 6, 2018 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    Most economists and politicians sing the praises of competition. It is supposed to keep firms on their toes for the benefit of consumers and workers. Well, competition is certainly alive and well in the U.S., but the results are far from positive for working people.

  • Transparency International Corruption in the USA- The difference a year makes

    We need to strengthen the public in the U.S. public sector

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on November 24, 2018 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    Many people have given up on the idea of government as an instrument of progressive social change, especially the federal government.

  • Trumping Labor: The Republican Plan to Gut Workers' Rights ... The Progressive

    The law versus worker rights

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on November 8, 2018 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    Organizing a union is no easy task in the United States. Although organizing a union is supposed to be a protected right, businesses regularly fire union supporters knowing that they face minimal punishment even if found guilty for their actions. In fact, the rights of all workers, regardless of their interest in unionization, are being whittled down. Simply put, U.S. law doesn’t work for workers.

  • 5 Years Later, Citizens United Has Remade U.S. Politics | Politics ... US News & World Report Demonstrators gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2013

    Corporate concentration, intellectual property rights, and U.S. public policy

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on October 28, 2018 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    Dominant corporations have dramatically increased their market power in the U.S. over the last decades, allowing them to boost their profits and, by extension, political power. And, although rarely acknowledged by the media, this trend owes much to the way public policy has promoted corporate intellectual property rights at the public expense.

  • 10 Ways to Save Money on Healthcare | Debt RoundUp

    The U.S. medical system: healthy profits at people’s expense

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on October 11, 2018 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    The health-care industry overtook the retail sector as the nation’s largest employer in December, giving local economies and their workers a stake in the industry’s growth. Health jobs surpassed manufacturing jobs in 2008.

  • One Belt, One Road, Silk Road's new challenges, opportunities ... Tehran Times

    A critical look at China’s One Belt, One Road initiative

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on October 2, 2018 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    China’s growth rate remains impressive, even if on the decline. The country’s continuing economic gains owe much to the Chinese state’s (1) still considerable ability to direct the activity of critical economic enterprises and sectors such as finance, (2) commitment to policies of economic expansion, and (3) flexibility in economic strategy.

  • Teachers Retirement Help | Find Out If Your Illinois Teacher Pension Is Safe

    U.S. public school teachers: declining pay, growing militancy

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on September 12, 2018 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    Strikes continue to be an effective way for teachers to improve their living and working (and by extension student learning) conditions. And, polls show that a strong majority of parents continue to support them. Popular support for teacher strikes remains strong The education pollster PDK recently asked adults what they thought about teacher salaries and […]

  • How far labor unions have fallen - Business Insider

    Forgotten workers and the U.S. expansion

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on September 2, 2018 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    There is a lot of celebrating going on in mainstream policy circles. The economy is said to be running at full steam with the unemployment rate now below 4 percent.

  • Median household income in the 21st century

    The 21st Century has been hard on U.S. households

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on August 21, 2018 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    The 21st Century has not been a good one for most working people in the United States. In fact, for most of this century, real median household income has been below its starting value in January 2000.

  • Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps fucking myth! | Makes u think... | Pinterest | Truths

    Magical bootstraps and the struggles of working Americans

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on August 12, 2018 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    A recession is coming, sooner or later. Once it hits, we can expect articles bemoaning the fact that working people didn’t build-up their savings during this record expansion to help them through the hard times. If only they had pinched pennies here and there, skipped a new TV or smart phone, they could have generated some capital that could have been invested…. Ah the missed opportunities.

  • U.S. militarism marches on

    Originally published: Reports from the Economic Front on July 31, 2018 (more by Reports from the Economic Front)

    Republicans and Democrats like to claim that they are on opposite sides of important issues. Of course, depending on which way the wind blows, they sometimes change sides, like over support for free trade and federal deficits. Tragically, however, there is no division when it comes to militarism.

← Previous
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
Next →

Also By Martin Hart-Landsberg in Monthly Review Magazine

  • Planning an Ecologically Sustainable and Democratic Economy: Challenges and Tasks July 01, 2023
  • U.S. Economic Planning in the Second World War and the Planetary Crisis February 01, 2023
  • Lessons from Iceland October 01, 2013
  • ALBA and the Promise of Cooperative Development December 01, 2010
  • The U.S. Economy and China: Capitalism, Class, and Crisis February 01, 2010
  • Learning from ALBA and the Bank of the South: Challenges and Possibilities September 01, 2009
  • The Promise and Perils of Korean Reunification April 01, 2009
  • China, Capitalist Accumulation, and Labor May 01, 2007
  • Neoliberalism: Myths and Reality April 01, 2006

Books By Martin Hart-Landsberg

  • Capitalist Globalization: Consequences, Resistance, and Alternatives May 31, 2009

Monthly Review Essays

  • The Migrant Genocide: Toward a Third World Analysis of European Class Struggle
    Iker Suarez A banner at a memorial rally for victims of the 2014 massacre of migrants at Tarajal, 2021.

    Over 10,000 people died in transit to Spain in 2024 alone.[1] On June 2022, the border fence of Melilla, one of two Spanish enclaves in Morocco, was witness to a massacre that killed or disappeared over a hundred African migrants.[2]  A recent BBC investigation revealed that Greek border guards systematically repeal immigrants already on Greek […]

Lost & Found

  • Strike at the Helm: The First Ministerial Meeting of the New Cycle of the Bolivarian Revolution
    Hugo Chávez Mural of Chávez in Caracas. (Univision)

    On October 7th, 2012, after hearing of his victory as the nation‘s candidate with 56 percent of the vote, President Hugo Chávez Frias announced from a balcony in his hometown that a new cycle was beginning the very next day, October 8th.

Trending

  • Airbus A330-243F cargo aircraft
    Russian and Chinese Military cargo planes shuttling weapons, missiles, supplies into Iran
  • Trump
    Mainstream media ignore Trump’s planned Office of Remigration, a term for ethnic cleansing
  • Plutonian Mac: December 2017
    Official: U.S.-Israeli deception gave Iran false security ahead of attack
  • Figure 2 – Credit: Matt Kenard / Declassified 2023
    The urgency of abolishing Britain’s colonial bases in Cyprus
  • A building damaged in an Israeli strike on Tehran, on 13 June 2025 (Atta Kenner/AFP)
    Exclusive: U.S. quietly sent hundreds of Hellfire missiles to Israel before Iran attack
  • Protesters in San Juan celebrate the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló, July 25, 2019.
    A Potentially Politically Hot Summer in Puerto Rico
  • A banner at a memorial rally for victims of the 2014 massacre of migrants at Tarajal, 2021.
    The Migrant Genocide: Toward a Third World Analysis of European Class Struggle
  • Aftermath of Israeli airstrike in Tehran, June 13, 2025. Photo courtesy Tasnim News Agency/Wikimedia Commons.
    Gaslighting the way to World War III
  • Books
    The Trump administration is banning books on military bases. We sued.
  • Joy Metzler at the Air Force Academy graduation in 2023 (supplied/Joy Metzler)
    Meet the American military veterans fasting for Gaza

Popular (last 30 days)

  • Airbus A330-243F cargo aircraft
    Russian and Chinese Military cargo planes shuttling weapons, missiles, supplies into Iran
  • Trump
    Mainstream media ignore Trump’s planned Office of Remigration, a term for ethnic cleansing
  • This satellite image from Planet Labs PBC shows six U.S. B-2 stealth bombers parked at Camp Thunder Cove in Diego Garcia on April 2, 2025. Though officially deployed for operations in Yemen, the presence of these nuclear-capable aircraft in striking range of Iran has raised concerns that the U.S. is quietly preparing to support a potential Israeli attack. Photo | AP
    Staging for a strike? U.S. quietly moves bombers as Israel prepares to hit Iran
  • Plutonian Mac: December 2017
    Official: U.S.-Israeli deception gave Iran false security ahead of attack
  • America is a scam
    America is a scam
  • New Pan-African Path
    Forging a new Pan-African path: Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Traoré, and the Land of the Upright People
  • Figure 2 – Credit: Matt Kenard / Declassified 2023
    The urgency of abolishing Britain’s colonial bases in Cyprus
  • A building damaged in an Israeli strike on Tehran, on 13 June 2025 (Atta Kenner/AFP)
    Exclusive: U.S. quietly sent hundreds of Hellfire missiles to Israel before Iran attack
  • A black and white photograph of Paulo Freire later in life. Freire is bald, bearded, and wears large eyeglasses.
    Pedagogy and Class Power: Reclaiming Freire in an Age of Reaction
  • Activist Greta Thunberg stands near the stage during a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Mannheim, Germany, on Dec. 6, 2024. Uwe Anspach | AP
    From media darling to persona non grata: Greta Thunberg’s journey

RSS MR Press News

  • EXCERPT: Colonial dreams, racist nightmares, liberated futures (from the introduction to A Land With A People) June 13, 2025
  • The legacy of a Sardinian original (Roses for Gramsci reviewed in ‘Counterpunch’) June 13, 2025
  • LISTEN: Gramsci’s lasting contributions (Andy Merrifield on ‘Against the Grain’) June 6, 2025
  • Why did Marxism fall into such deep crisis in the West? (Western Marxism reviewed in ‘Socialism and Democracy’) June 5, 2025
  • A remarkable personal journey WATCH: Andy Merrifield, author of Roses for Gramsci, at The Marxist Education Project June 4, 2025

RSS Climate & Capitalism

  • Global heating isn’t just getting worse. It is getting worse faster. June 19, 2025
  • Ecosocialist Bookshelf, June 2025 June 17, 2025
  • 1.5 is dead: How hot will the Earth get? June 5, 2025
  • Carbon capture company emits more than it captures June 3, 2025
  • Some thoughts on Nature and the German Peasants’ War May 23, 2025

 

RSS Monthly Review

  • June 2025 (Volume 77, Number 2) June 1, 2025 The Editors
  • The Trump Doctrine and the New MAGA Imperialism June 1, 2025 John Bellamy Foster
  • The War in Ukraine—A History: How the U.S. Exploited Fractures in the Post-Soviet Order June 1, 2025 Thomas I. Palley
  • Big Pharma and Monopoly Capital: Four Dynamics in the Decline of Innovation June 1, 2025 Jia Liu
  • What’s going on June 1, 2025 Marge Piercy

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Creative Commons License

Monthly Review Foundation
134 W 29TH ST STE 706
New York NY 10001-5304

Tel: 212-691-2555