DiscoverEconomic Update with Richard D. WolffThe Key Concept of 'Surplus' in Economics
The Key Concept of 'Surplus' in Economics

The Key Concept of 'Surplus' in Economics

Update: 2025-11-25
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On today's episode of Economic Update, Professor Wolff delivers an introduction to the key economic concept of "the surplus." He explains economic structures as ways of organizing the production and social distribution of the surplus. Then he briefly applies this concept to the economies of slavery and feudalism before focusing on the role of the surplus in capitalism. Finally, we use the surplus to delineate the ways alternative post-capitalist systems, such as socialism or communism, distribute it.

 

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The Key Concept of 'Surplus' in Economics

The Key Concept of 'Surplus' in Economics

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