This book reconsiders and analyses the different approaches historically proposed in the literature on growth and distribution. The contributors have achieved, through a comprehensive and cohesive analysis of the approaches of different schools of thought, a wide-ranging interpretation of a variety of important economic phenomena. The book identifies elements characterising each approach and tries to derive from them a range of insights into the complexity of the growth process.
Economic Growth and Distribution isolates and compares the logical structures and methodological underpinnings underlying the relationship between economic growth and distribution. It carries out an in-depth analysis of a wide range of issues connected with growth theory considered from different theoretical perspectives. Its uniqueness is derived from the original contributions by a number of scholars of different persuasions; some within the mainstream and others from Keynesian-Kaleckian-Sraffian positions. The book deals with a wide variety of research topics concerning economic growth and distribution, such as the transition from the epoch of Malthusian stagnation to the contemporary era of modern economic growth; comparisons among the classical tradition, modern theory, and heterodox models; problems of policy; dynamics and business cycles; the role on institutions.
This book presents an international study of economic growth and income distribution, with a focus on North-South differences. The text discusses the topic from a purely theoretical perspective, comparing the relations between economies by using formal mathematical models. Four well-known approaches are discussed: neoclassical, neo-Marxian, neo-Keynesian and Kalecki-Steindl. Models are developed to highlight and contrast the basic features of these approaches. Subsequent chapters systematically introduce inflation, technological change, sectoral issues, and international trade, building upon these simple one-sector models. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in areas such as developmental economics, growth, trade and political economy.
Growth, Distribution, and Effective Demand presents original essays on a variety of topics in theoretical and applied economics. The book honors the work of Edward J. Nell and develops interconnected themes that run through the modern Post-Keynesian tradition. The first part deals with the fundamental idea that economic growth is demand-driven, with special attention to policy ramifications. The second theme concerns the connection between economic growth and the structural characteristics of a market economy. These issues are closely linked to a critical tradition that calls into question key elements in orthodox economics. The final part of the book aims to buttress non-orthodox approaches to growth and distribution by critiquing particular aspects of the conventional theory, by elaborating neglected themes in non-orthodox theory, or by exploring some overlooked methodological ideas.
The distribution of capital and income in general and its re lation to wealth and economic growth in particular have attrac ted economists' interest for a long time already. Especially the, at least partially, conflicting nature of the two politi cal objectives, namely to obtain substantially large economic growth and a "just" income distribution at the same time, has caused the topic to become a subject of political discussions. As a result of these discussions, numerous models of workers' participation in the profits of growing economies have been developed. To a minor extent and with quite diverse success, some have been implemented in practice. It is far beyond the scope of this work to outline all these approaches from the past centuries and, in particular, the past decades. In economic theory many authors, for instance Kaldor [1955], Krelle [1968], [1983], Pasinetti [1962], Samuelson and Modigli ani [1966], to name but a few, have analyzed the long-term eco nomic implications of workers' saving and investment. While most of this extensive literature is highly interesting, it suffers from the fact that it does not explicitly consider either workers' or capitalists' objectives and thus neglects their impacts on economic growth. Thus, in the framework of a neo-classical model, these objectives and their impacts will be emphasized here.
A controversy among economists has raged in the pages of professional journals for the last decade. The debate concerns capital theory and distribution theory, as well as interpretation of models of long-run economic growth. This book is an attempt to integrate recent developments in capital theory and show their implications for models of long-run economic growth in mature capitalistic countries.This book first presents the von Neumann model and outlines its classical approach to the rate of profits and distribution. Sraffa's resolution of the value-price transformation problem is then presented and compared with Samuelson's ""Surrogate Production Function"". With the results of this comparison and the delineation of the special case in which the ""Surrogate"" is valid, several existing models of growth are set out in two representative groups.Neoclassical models form the first group. These are defined by their reliance on marginal theory to determine factor prices, the rate of profit and therefore distribution via the perfectly differentiable production function. Models of Meade, Tobin, Solow, and Samuelson- Modigliani are outlined and analyzed for their treatment and distribution and profits theory. The second group is comprised of models within the strict Keynesian tradition. The basic groundwork of these models as found in the work of Keynes and Kalecki is first cited. The Keynesian models are characterized by their assumption that the investment decision is totally independent of savings decisions in the economy. The models of Harrod, Kaldor, Pasinetti and Joan Robinson are presented and their method of approach to the rate of profits and distribution is analyzed.The concluding chapter focuses on some criticisms brought against the Keynesian models and offers some generalized formulations to deal with these neoclassical objections. General conclusions follow the treatment of each representative group and author.
What determines the rate of growth, the distribution of income, and the structure of relative prices under capitalism? What, in short, makes capitalist economies tick? This watershed treatise analyzes the answers to these questions provided by three major theoretical traditions: neoclassical, neo-Marxian, and neo-Keynesian. Until now, the mutual criticism exchanged by partisans of the different traditions has focused disproportionately on the logical shortcomings of rival theories, or on such questions as whether or not input-output relationships can be described by a continuous-substitution production function. In this book, these are at best secondary issues. The real distinguishing features of the theories, for Stephen Marglin, are their characterization of labor markets and capital accumulation. For clarity, Marglin first sets out the essential features of each theory in the context of a common production model with a single good and a fixed-coefficient technology. He then formalizes the different theories as alternative ways of closing the model. In subsequent chapters he examines the effects of relaxing key simplifying assumptions, in particular the characterization of technology and the homogeneity of output and capital. And although his primary emphasis is theoretical, he does not ignore the problem of empirically testing the theories. Finally, he synthesizes the insights of the neo-Marxian and neo-Keynesian models into a single model that transcends the shortcomings of each taken separately. Marglin anticipates that partisans of the different traditions will agree on one point: each will allow that the book reveals the shortcomings of the other theories but will insist that it fails utterly to reflect the power and majesty of one's own particular brand of truth. Growth, Distribution, and Prices will be controversial, but it will not be ignored.
This book investigates the relationship between wages, profits, values and labour employment from a classical-Keynesian perspective. The starting point of this approach is classical political economy (in particular, Smith, Ricardo and Marx), suitably reformulated in modern terms by Sraffa and then integrated with the Keynesian theory of employment. Such an approach proves to be more appropriate in understanding the complexities of current economies and in identifying the instruments to pursue the final goal of economic systems: putting each person in a position to earn what is necessary to live with dignity. The approach undertaken by these chapters is in contrast to the ‘marginalist’ or ‘neoclassical’ school, which constitutes the mainstream of economic analysis. Especially in recent decades, several critical analyses of the present state of economic research have emerged due to the failure of contemporary economic analysis to acutely penetrate and guide the workings of actual economic systems. But these analyses have not always been effectively presented in a coordinated manner. This work presents one possible unifying framework—grounded in a solid tradition of economic thought—which aims to describe the basic forces operating in capitalistic economies and to identify the main objectives to pursue in production economies in order to fully exploit their potential. Most importantly, the focus of such classical-Keyensian analysis concerns the production of goods and services, and this book shows how several factors typical of contemporary (post-)industrial societies thus can be understood in a way that the standard economic theory has not been able to explicate (due to the reduction of everything to a question of exchange). The book provides key reading for those on master level economics courses. Moreover, it constitutes a solid introduction to modern classical-Keynesian analysis. It may also be of interest to readers who are keen to develop a critical view of economics, political economy and history of economic thought.
Mainstream neoclassical economics tells us that money is essentially a commodity, has no other social meanings or consequences, and (therefore) exists only as a medium of exchange to lubricate/facilitate barter. This book takes the view that money is definitively a social relation between private persons or legal persons. As such, it is one of
This major new book provides a coherent critique of the neo-classical synthesis together with a comprehensive and systematic introduction to the post Keynesian alternatives. Professor Arestis demonstrates that post Keynesian economics offers a challenge to conventional neoclassical economics. He argues that although post Keynesianism is not problem-free, it nevertheless offers a more satisfactory explanation of 'real' phenomena. The post Keynesian Approach to Economicsreveals the microfoundations of post Keynesian economics and describes how these theoretical propositions link up with the macrofoundations. In doing so, it demonstrates that money pricing, capital accumulation, growth and distribution are linked very closely together. The economic policy implications are discussed extensively.
