"Capitalism and its Alternatives is a dense and detailed interpretation of differing theories of capitalism and possible alternatives. Rogers, drawing upon the Open Marxist tradition highlights varying understandings of capitalism and provides solid analysis, alongside biting critiques. The central argument of the book is that capitalism has an intrinsic tendency towards crisis that makes an alternative to the system both desirable and justifiable. [...] The approach in Chapter One is quite novel. Rather than a lengthy exposition of the whole edifice of capitalism, Rogers utilises four figures as a platform to display core ideas of capitalism. There are sections on Adam Smith, Karl Marx, John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich Von Hayek. [...] The focus in Chapter Two is to incorporate the ideas of capitalist functionality discussed in Chapter One with a specific focus on crisis. The three crises discussed are the Great Depression, the breakdown of the Bretton Woods system and the 2007-8 recession. [...] The formal focus on historical crisis is detailed and well made. However, it is when Rogers engages in critique that he comes into his own, providing details on the reasons behind each crisis which he does not over-complicate. His fundamental point is to reiterate the contradictory nature of the social relations upon which capitalist accumulation rests. [...] Moving on from capitalism per se, Rogers begins discussing alternative forms of capitalism in Chapter Three. This begins with an account of libertarianism drawing on the work of Hayek and Robert Nozick. He then presents analyses of cooperativsm, specifically the ideas of Robert Owen, and then socialist forms of society, mainly focusing on social democracy of the 20th century. In each case Rogers presents a for and against style of engagement, first of all noting the core tenets of each idea and then providing a critical interrogation of its ideals and how it has fared practically. [...] The final chapter discusses the various ways that capitalism can and has been resisted. [...] This chapter and the conclusion provide a good examination of the problems and issues of anti-capitalism. Rogers’s arguments are persuasive and it is refreshing to see a book that does not simply conflate all anti-capitalist struggles and movements under the umbrella of the official communist movements of the 20th century."

"A merit of the book is that it addresses contemporary economic crises in a philosophical and historical context and it could serve as an introductory overview for students interested in the analysis of contemporary capitalism. The ideas are clearly developed and there is an especially well-written section on the four economic analyses of capitalism. This is a short book covering a wide compass and, while good as an introduction, it will need supplementing. with other texts and reading. I would question whether the book succeeds in providing a ‘robust empirical critique of different historical forms of capitalism’ (p. 154). The economic crises entailed by capitalism were experienced neither by national capitalism nor by socialist planned regimes. The ‘bottom-up’ forms of pluralistic anti-capitalism recommended by the author remain on the fringes of politics and are problematic as alternatives to capitalism in the advanced industrialised countries. Nevertheless, the book is a welcome addition to the literature and deserves to be read by students interested in current alternative approaches to politics."

"Chris Rogers’ splendid book is lucid, and held together by a cool sense that good arguments might bring about better worlds. This is a book which could easily be used as a ‘text’—and I mean that in the sense that such things might be topics for pulpits. Rogers comes from a background in political economy and wants to take his reader by the hand and show them what some theories of capitalism look like. The question of the role of the state is crucial here, as is an assessment as to whether capitalism is an intrinsically crisis prone system. He is clear that different understandings of what ‘alternative’ means depend on what you think capitalism is in the first place. So, for example, he draws some lines between ‘alternative capitalism’, ‘alternatives to capitalism’ and ‘anti-capitalism’ (p. 3). Finally, he insists all the way through the book that ‘alternative’ should be thought of as a way of doing things, a process, and not an utopian state of affairs which can be constructed and inhabited in a ‘happy ever after’ form of fairy-tale politics."