tư bản khả biến

Definition

1. Noun (Economics):
   • Variable capital: The portion of capital that is spent on hiring labor power (wages). This capital is termed "variable" because, in the process of production, the labor it purchases can create new value greater than its own cost, thereby increasing the total capital value.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Theo Karl Marx, tư bản khả biến là nguồn gốc của giá trị thặng dư. (According to Karl Marx, variable capital is the source of surplus value.)
  • Nhà tư bản phải đầu tư vào cả tư bản bất biến lẫn tư bản khả biến. (The capitalist must invest in both constant capital and variable capital.)

Advanced Usage

• In Marxist critique, the distinction between variable capital and constant capital (tư bản bất biến) is fundamental to analyzing exploitation. Variable capital is seen as the only part of capital that expands, as labor creates surplus value.

Variants and Related Words

• Tư bản bất biến (n): Constant capital. Capital spent on machinery, raw materials, and buildings, which does not create new value but transfers its existing value to the product.
• Giá trị thặng dư (n): Surplus value. The extra value produced by workers beyond the value of their labor power (wages).

Synonyms

• Variable capital (technical economic term).

Related Concepts

• Exploitation of labor: A key concept in Marxist theory where surplus value, generated by variable capital, is appropriated by the capitalist.
• Labor theory of value: The economic theory that the value of a commodity is determined by the labor time required to produce it, central to understanding the role of variable capital.