ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The aim of this book is to provide a framework in which to understand how the company functions in society, as well as providing a thorough grounding in modern legal doctrine. It begins with an overview of the many ways in which the state shapes the economy. It then goes on to examine the nature of the political economy of capitalism, including how value is created and why the economy is crisis-prone. A theory of the political economy of capitalism was substantially developed by Marx in the nineteenth century and subsequently utilized by modern scholars to understand current developments. It provides the most effective model in which to understand past and current developments in company law in contex. The political and economic shift to neoliberalism has had distinct consequences for company law; these are examined in detail in this book.
