In this collection of chapter-length articles from the Monthly Review, Foster, editor of the Monthly Review, and McChesney (communication, University of Illinois) claim that economic stagnation is the normal state of a mature capitalist economy that is dominated by a handful of giant monopolistic corporations. They provide an evidence-based explanation for stagnation and argue that changing the downward spiral will require radical change in the economic system (although they don't recommend how). Some subjects explored include the internationalization of monopoly capital, the global reserve army of labor and the new imperialism, and the great stagnation and China. The book's readership includes those of all political values. Foster teaches sociology at the University of Oregon. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)