Teacher on conveyor belt of money representing education and economy.

The Productivity Paradox: Are Teachers in Federal Universities Really Contributing?

Rhea Morgan in Business & Economy August 2025 • 4 min read.

"Examining the evolving roles of educators in a shifting economic landscape, challenging traditional views of 'productive' work."

In today's fast-changing world, it's crucial to discuss work and its increasing demands. This is especially true for teachers in federal universities. We need to understand how their work fits into the current economic setup, where things like capital, labor, and added value are constantly being redefined.

To get a better handle on this, we need to revisit some key ideas about what makes work 'productive' or 'unproductive,' especially from a Marxist point of view. These concepts help us understand how capitalism really works when it comes to creating added value. The goal here is to rethink whether what teachers do in federal universities is truly productive in today's world, where new relationships between capital and labor are taking shape. Can we even call their work productive or unproductive? How does it all connect to making money in today's economy?

This article will explore this topic in four parts: first, we'll look back at Marx's ideas about productive and unproductive work. Then, we'll consider the social aspects of work and what's truly important in analyzing it. Next, we'll examine the work of higher education teachers in terms of productivity for capital, keeping in mind the changing landscape of higher education and new ways of accumulating wealth. Finally, we'll discuss what's really important in this debate, highlighting the power of collective action and resistance as ways to envision new paths for public universities and their teaching staff.

Productive vs. Unproductive: A Marxist View

Teacher on conveyor belt of money representing education and economy.

The concepts of 'productive' and 'unproductive' labor are key to understanding how capitalism works, especially how it generates surplus value. Karl Marx emphasized that productive labor directly increases the value of capital, creating surplus value and contributing to its realization. It serves as a tool for capital to grow and self-enhance.

Productive work isn't just about making what's needed for survival; it's mainly about creating extra value that fuels the capitalist system. The heart of capitalist production is boosting capital through the surplus value taken from productive wage earners. As Santos Neto puts it, capitalists profit from the price of labor. The means of production are brought to life by living labor, leading to the growth of capital and value.

Creates surplus value: Generates profit for the capitalist by producing more value than the cost of labor.
Serves capital: Directly contributes to the self-expansion and accumulation of capital.
Involves wage labor: Characterized by a relationship where workers sell their labor power to capitalists.

Productive workers are those who produce immediate, material wealth in the form of goods, excluding the value of their labor power itself. Marx further explains that capitalist production isn't just about producing goods; it's mainly about producing surplus value. Workers produce not for themselves but for capital, and they must generate surplus value. A productive worker is one who generates surplus value for the capitalist or contributes to the self-enhancement of capital. For example, a schoolteacher is a productive worker if they not only educate children but also enrich their employer. The nature of the business, whether it's education or sausage making, doesn't change this relationship. Thus, productive work involves a specific social relationship where the worker directly enhances capital.

The Path Forward: Collective Action

Given these complexities, it's essential to move beyond simply labeling work as productive or unproductive. Instead, we must focus on its role in the broader system of capital accumulation. In this context, public higher education and its federal institutions play a significant role, whether through private educational services, market-driven research, technological advancements, or the push for academic productivity. These elements contribute to capital accumulation and the appropriation of teaching labor.

About this Article -

This article was crafted using a human-AI hybrid and collaborative approach. AI assisted our team with initial drafting, research insights, identifying key questions, and image generation. Our human editors guided topic selection, defined the angle, structured the content, ensured factual accuracy and relevance, refined the tone, and conducted thorough editing to deliver helpful, high-quality information.See our About page for more information.

This article is based on research published under:

DOI-LINK: 10.1590/1982-02592017v20n2p291, Alternate LINK

Title: Trabalho Produtivo E Improdutivo Na Atualidade: Particularidade Do Trabalho Docente Nas Federais

Journal: Revista Katálysis

Publisher: FapUNIFESP (SciELO)

Authors: Janaína Lopes Do Nascimento Duarte

Published: 2017-08-01

Everything You Need To Know

What exactly constitutes 'productive labor' from a Marxist perspective?

In Marxist terms, 'productive labor' is work that directly increases the value of capital. This type of work creates surplus value, which then contributes to the self-expansion of capital. Productive labor isn't just about producing necessary goods; it's primarily about generating extra value that benefits the capitalist system by increasing profits.

How does 'unproductive labor' differ from 'productive labor' according to Marxist theory?

According to Marxist theory, 'unproductive labor' does not directly contribute to the creation of surplus value for the capitalist. While this labor may be socially useful or necessary, it doesn't directly enhance capital. It's important to remember that this distinction is based on the creation of surplus value within a capitalist system, not the societal value of the work itself.

In what ways could the work of teachers in federal universities be seen as 'productive' in relation to capital accumulation?

Teachers in federal universities can be considered 'productive' within a Marxist framework if their activities directly or indirectly contribute to capital accumulation. This could occur through various channels, such as private educational services offered by the university, market-driven research that leads to technological advancements, or the overall push for increased academic productivity that benefits the institution's financial standing. The key factor is whether their labor generates surplus value for the university, which in turn contributes to the broader capitalist system.

Why is the concept of 'surplus value' so important when considering the productivity of labor in a capitalist system?

The concept of 'surplus value' is central to understanding the productivity of labor. Surplus value is the excess value produced by workers beyond the cost of their labor power. In simpler terms, it's the profit that capitalists extract from the labor of productive workers. This surplus value is the driving force behind capital accumulation and the self-expansion of capital. The higher the surplus value generated, the more productive the labor is considered to be within a Marxist framework.

What role does collective action play in shaping the future of public universities and the work of its teaching staff, especially in relation to capital accumulation?

Collective action and resistance are crucial for envisioning alternative paths for public universities and their teaching staff. By organizing and acting collectively, teachers and other university workers can challenge the dominant forces of capital accumulation and advocate for policies and practices that prioritize social good over profit. This can involve pushing for greater public funding for education, resisting the marketization of research, and promoting a more equitable distribution of resources within the university system. Ultimately, collective action empowers educators to shape the future of higher education in a way that aligns with their values and the needs of society.