ABSTRACT
The regulationist movement originates in a rigorous and radical critique of neoclassical theory. Its critique is based on a postulation of the selfregulating character of market economies (Aglietta, 1976) and the abandoning of an erroneous interpretation of the disequilibria and contradictions which marked the end of the Golden Age (‘trente glorieuses’) (Boyer and Mistral, 1978, 1981). But does this necessarily imply the adoption of traditional Marxist terms and approaches? Both historical and theoretical factors suggest that such is not the case. The original historical research on which régulation theory is based emphasises the long-term transformations of the American and French forms of capitalism. This research invalidated orthodox Marxist theory, for example the theory that attributes a central role to the state in the extension of monopolist capitalism during the inter-war period.
