Starting with the first "scientific" economists such as Cantillon (1755) and Quesnay (1758) and ending with Piketty (2019), this book explores the treatment of the concept of capital in the history of accounting and economic thought. The work provides a rare juxtaposition of the reasoning, discourse and writings of accountants and economists. With regard to 'capital', this approach highlights the ongoing struggle between these "uncongenial twins" - as Kenneth Boulding put it - for primacy in analysing, and utilising, capitalism. But if they are certainly "uncongenial", the book also argues that it is wrong to ever classify these two disciplines as "twins" because they have taken very different paths ever since scientism came to dominate in economics and ethical and moral considerations were put to one side. This book will be of significant interest to readers to history of economic thought, critical accounting and heterodox economics.

The strict conversation of financial capital allows accountants to preserve capitalism in its current form. Thus, building a more humane economy will require a new accounting model. Humanitarian Ecological Economics and Accounting: Capitalism, Ecology and Democracy argues for the adoption of a CARE model: comprehensive accounting in respect of ecology. This new model will take the traditional weapons of capitalist accounting and turn them against capitalism, with a goal to protect and conserve human and natural capital within the framework of a democratic society. The CARE model has been conceived as the potential basis of a new type of market economy and of a new type of governance of firms and nations. Additionally, this allows for a new conception of capital, cost and profit that helps with moves towards a society of the commons. The first part of the book explores the reconstruction of accounting and economics from the ground up, outlining the theoretical basis for the model. The second part of the book explores the transformation of the governance of firms and nations. Finally, an additional section is dedicated to the conception of a new model of national accounting. This book will be of significant interest to readers of ecological economics, critical accounting and heterodox economics.

Almost all economists, whether classical, neoclassical or Marxist, have failed in their analyses of capitalism to consider the underpinning systems of accounting. This book draws attention to this lacuna, focusing specifically on the concept of capital: a major concept that dominates all teaching and practice in both economics and management. It is argued that while for the practitioners of capitalism - in accounting and business - the capital in their accounts is a debt to be repaid (or a thing to be kept), for economists, it has been considered a means (or even a resource or an asset) intended to be worn out. This category error has led to economists failing to comprehend the true nature of capitalism. On this basis, this book proposes a new definition of capitalism that brings about considerable changes in the attitude to be had towards this economic system, in particular, the means to bring about its replacement. This book will be of significant interest to readers of political economy, history of economic thought, critical accounting and heterodox economics.

Almost all economists, whether classical, neoclassical or Marxist, have failed in their analyses of capitalism to consider the underpinning systems of accounting. This book draws attention to this lacuna, focusing specifically on the concept of capital: a major concept that dominates all teaching and practice in both economics and management.

It is argued that while for the practitioners of capitalism – in accounting and business – the capital in their accounts is a debt to be repaid (or a thing to be kept), for economists, it has been considered a means (or even a resource or an asset) intended to be worn out. This category error has led to economists failing to comprehend the true nature of capitalism. On this basis, this book proposes a new definition of capitalism that brings about considerable changes in the attitude to be had towards this economic system, in particular, the means to bring about its replacement.

This book will be of significant interest to readers of political economy, history of economic thought, critical accounting and heterodox economics.

Table of Contents

Foreword: Capital and social costs as outcomes of struggles with truth

Sebastian Berger

Introduction

PART I The battle about the concept of capital

1 How a capitalist accounting constitution dominates the world economy

2 The difficulty of economists in understanding the concept of capital in accounting

3 The truth about the concept of capital in accounting

4 The victory of the capital–debt conception in accounting

5 The mystery of the misconception of business capital in economics

6 Two false friends of the capital–debt concept

Pacioli and Fisher

Conclusion of Part I: Two conflicting accounting models of capital

PART II Economists and their concepts of capital

7 The traditional classification of economists in materialist and fundist views

8 Proposal for a new classification of the conceptions of capital in economics

9 The issue of human capital

Conclusion of Part II

PART III Towards a new definition of capitalism

10 Private property as an element (or not) of capitalism

11 Markets as elements (or not) of capitalism

12 The role of money and finance in capitalism

13 Is the separation of capitalist and household production a criterion for capitalism?

14 Is the wage system an element of the definition of capitalism?

15 The nature and reality of capitalist power: The issue of managerialism

Conclusion of Part III and the first volume: A new definition of modern capitalism