Ignácio Rangel and Ruy Mauro Marini on Department I of Capital Goods

Abstract

The article compares the theoretical frameworks of Ignácio Rangel and Ruy Mauro Marini in what deals with the division of the national economy in departments I and II proposed in volume 2 of Capital and its rotation schemes. Despite the agreement of both authors in which regards to the chronical popular subconsumption, the fundamental difference relies upon the privilege conferred to the international commerce both to the realization of value of the product and for the acquisition of capital goods in the case of the dependentistas, while to Rangel the central question is the sustaining of aggregate demand through the operationalization of the idle capacity dialectics. For that, the theoretical frameworks are compared in the light of the theoretical contributions of Marx and Lenin, seeking to emphasize the centrality of the asymmetric relation between both departments for capitalist development. Finally, it is concluded that these different visions result in different concepts regarding the central contradiction of capitalism.