Structural Political Economy: particular interests, systemic interests, and the structure of division of labour

Structural Political Economy generalises the classical view of the interplay between the structure of division of labour and socio-economic conflicts. Because division of labour can be represented in multiple ways, understanding which representation is relevant in a given situation requires understanding who the actors are, i.e. which social aggregations are more relevant in a given situation, as well as how actors visualise their objectives and constraints. It thus becomes possible to theorise (i) how the particular interests of political-economic actors are formed within economic structures; and (ii) how those structures impose viability conditions that give rise to a ‘systemic interest’, i.e. actors’ interest in maintaining viability, without which the pursuit of particular interests would be jeopardised.