The Value of Labor: The Science of Commodification in Hungary, 1920-1956

"The Value of Labor, " by Martha Lampland, is a deeply provocative book that explains how capitalism paradoxically flourished during Hungary s socialist period by examining the complex process of creating monetized labor markets in Hungary from before WWI until the end of the Stalinist period. Tracing the efforts of "work scientists," who claimed they could objectively determine the value of labor, Lampland explores the enormous amount of logistical, political, and epistemological work that goes into the making of supposedly self-regulating labor markets. In showing this history, Lampland reveals the ways in which all markets are unstable configurations constantly in search of a stable metric of value. Her discussion of the fundamental bases of capitalism has wide applicability to other contexts. This is a meticulously researched book, full of rich historical detail, which benefits enormously from the author's crisp, clear, and vivid writing style."