Capital and the Family

How are capital and the family interconnected in contemporary capitalism? In this article, we argue that they come together in owning relations. By owning capital across generations, families bridge the temporal gap between the durability of capital and the finite lifespan of private property holders and thus resolve the problem of bona vacantia. We posit that the ownership of capital influences the structure and practices of families. Vice versa family centered ownership of capital actively shapes economic processes. Making sense of how capital and the family are interlinked contributes to our understanding of the perpetuation and concentration of wealth as well as of contemporary forms of political economies. Lastly, we point to the social inequality stemming from family-centered owning relations and explore potential alternatives.