Jean-Baptiste Say (1767-1832) is remembered primarily for Say's Law, one of the cornerstones of classical economics. The success of his Traite d'economie Politique made Say the best-known expositor of Adam Smith in Europe and America, and he became France's first professor of political economy.The set covers the following themes: * Say in the history of economics* classical statements on Say's Law* later statements on Say's Law (the prelude to the General Theory)* the Keynesian Revolution and the attack on Say's Law* Lange, Say's Law and the demand for money* modern reconstructions of Say's Law* commentaries on classical views relating to Say's Law* Retrieving the classical understanding of Say's Law.
Finance Constraints and the Theory of Money: Selected Papers gathers together the work of S. C. Tsiang, one of the most cogent critics of the Keynesian stock approach to money in all its forms and one of the foremost champions of the flow approach. Tsiang's papers focus on finance constraints and the theory of money, tackling topics such as the role of money in trade-balance stability and the monetary theoretic foundation of the modern monetary approach to the balance of payments, as well as the diffusion of reserves and the money supply multiplier. Comprised of 17 chapters, this volume begins by providing a background to the development of Tsiang's thinking on monetary theory and why he objected to the Keynesian stock equilibrium approach to money. The reader is then introduced to speculation and income stability; misconceptions in monetary theory and their influences on financial and banking practices; and liquidity preference in general equilibrium analysis. Subsequent chapters deal with the optimum supply of money; the total inadequacy of "Keynesian" balance of payments theory; and the rationale of the mean-standard deviation analysis, skewness preference, and the demand for money. This book will be a useful resource for practitioners interested in economic theory, econometrics, and mathematical economics.
'Fabio Petri has been a persistent critic of marginalist theories of value and distribution. In this provocative book, he presents an extensive scrutiny of the reasons why many economists are unsatisfied with the Neo-Walrasian approach to General Equilibrium theory and why some reject it altogether. General Equilibrium, Capital and Macroeconomics throws down a challenge to all economic theorists.' - Neri Salvadori, University of Pisa, Italy 'General Equilibrium, Capital and Macroeconomics is a thorough and deep book. It contains a remarkably clear and precise statement of the conceptual, methodological and analytical difficulties besetting the demand and supply approach to economics as it is advocated in partial and general equilibrium models, old and new, micro and macro. This work covers essential parts of modern economics, it is well written and the subject matter is carefully arranged. The book will be of interest to a wide range of economists.' - Heinz D. Kurz, University of Graz, Austria This book argues that the shift in general equilibrium theory, from its early long-period to the modern very-short-period versions, has had very important consequences which are insufficiently appreciated by large parts of the economics profession. This shift has produced new difficulties, and has undermined central tenets of neoclassical macroeconomic theory (such as the negative dependence of aggregate investment on the interest rate, or the existence of a downward-sloping demand curve for labour) which had their basis in the long-period versions where capital was treated as a single factor.
Classical Versus Neoclassical Monetary Theories, completed just before Professor Will E. Mason's untimely death, places recent and mid-20th century monetary theory in a larger historical context, while examining the relevance of contemporary questions in monetary policy. The first half of the volume analyzes the development of the methodological and conceptual foundations of monetary theory, up to and including contemporary mainstream views; the second half addresses more policy-oriented monetary questions. Emphasis is placed on the dichotomy of monetary and value theory, the Walrasian general equilibrium paradigm, the resolution of the `Patinkin controversy', the Federal Reserve System's failed experiment with `pure monetarism', and the misplacement of the free market in the `Chicago paradox'. Classical Versus Neoclassical Monetary Theories will be of interest both to historians of economic thought and monetary and macro economists, as well as to many well-informed followers and fashioners of monetary policy.
Starting with an overview of Modigliani's life, the authors explain and assess his influential theories, including his theory of the life-cycle hypothesis of saving; the famous Modigliani-Miller theorem in corporate finance; stabilisation policy; econometric model building and forecasting, and his legacy and influence on contemporary economics.
Volume I contains original biographical profiles of many of the most important and influential economists from the seventeenth century to the present day. These inform the reader about their lives, works and impact on the further development of the discipline. The emphasis is on their lasting contributions to our understanding of the complex system known as the economy. The entries also shed light on the means and ways in which the functioning of this system can be improved and its dysfunction reduced.
