Abstract

The investigation of Marxist literature in recent years reveals the recurrence of certain themes that are indicative of the contemporary way of working of the capitalist system (commodity-knowledge, value added by brand, financialization). Although seemingly unrelated, these phenomena can be theoretically connected with the aid of Marx’s theory of rent, as it appears in Section VI of Book III of Capital, and in Theories of Surplus Value. The purpose of this article is to rescue Marx’s observations in these works to think about the interconnectedness of the contemporary phenomena mentioned above and the nature of the current process of capital accumulation. This theoretical exercise seems to show that the rent seeking is, nowadays, one of the most striking features of this process.

JEL Classification: B14; E40; P16.