Abstract

The essay presents a theoretically oriented survey of three interpretative perspectives about the European development and crisis, proposed by different authors (Halevi, Celi-Ginzburg- Guarascio-Simonazzi, and Saraceno). We highlight their richness and in many respects their complementarity, but we also reveal internal tensions and some limits. In contrast, a unitary discourse will emerge, sometimes thanks to the arguments we will borrow from these authors, sometimes in dialogue with them. Ours is a deliberately partial perspective providing a sympathetic “critiqueµ that will extract the “internal truthµ contained in the works reviewed, showing how they enlighten today’s challenges. In conclusion, we will argue that the coronavirus pandemic may shift the discussion, and open new perspectives in terms of economic policy and social intervention, or, more simply but more substantially, of political challenge and urgent tasks for action.