Making of a Post-Keynesian Economist

G. C. HARCOURT Emeritus Reader in the History of Economic Theory, Cambridge (1998), Emeritus Fellow, Jesus College, Cambridge (1998), UK, and Professor Emeritus, Adelaide (1988), is now a Visiting Professorial Fellow at the School of Economics, UNSW, Australia. He is the author and editor of many books, articles and chapters in books. His books include Some Cambridge Controversies, The Theory of Capital, The Structure of Post-Keynesian Economics, (with Prue Kerr) Joan Robinson and nine volumes of selected essays.

'It's better to engage with those we disagree with than to ignore them. The least we get is a firmer grasp of our own views, but sometimes we gain more: a change in them because we've lost an argument. Geoff Harcourt's heterodox ideas are sometimes discomfiting, but they are also immensely stimulating. These essays demand careful attention, particularly from anyone who is still comfortable with today's economic orthodoxies.' - David Laidler, Professor Emeritus, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada 'Now more than ever before it is important for a rounded account to be published of how an alternative approach to economics might develop. Here we have a selection from the latest contributions of one of the most central figures in Post Keynesian economics. These papers exemplify all aspects of the development of his economics. In them Geoff Harcourt ranges from philosophy to theory to policy to the (always generous) critical analysis of the contributions of fellow-economists, all with an eye to addressing issues of social justice in the current economic environment.' - Sheila Dow, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Stirling Geoff Harcourt's essays embody that rare combination of insight and creation. His often provocative tone is revealed in genres ranging from biographical to critical reviews and development of theoretical issues, both implicit and explicit, in historical and contemporary economic theory. His essays demonstrate the possibilities of using different methodologies and of analyses at different levels of abstraction. The implications of these theoretical ideas extend to policy where his vision of a good society becomes clearest in both the means and the ends. This collection inspires the reader to reach beyond their own expectations of themselves. - Dr. Prue Kerr, University of Adelaide, Australia

• PART I: AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL ESSAY The Making of a Post-Keynesian Economist PART II: THEORETICAL ESSAYS The Debates on the Representative Firm and Increasing Returns Paul Samuelson on Karl Marx 'Capital-reversing and Reswitching' Whatever Happened to the Cambridge Capital Theory Controversies? The Relevance of the Cambridge-Cambridge Controversies in Capital Theory for Econometric Practice The Harrod Model of Growth and Some Early Reactions to it On Mark Perlman and Joseph Schumpeter PART III: REVIEW ARTICLES Monsters and Morals: Review of David Jenkins On Paul Krugman on Maynard Keynes' 'General Theory' PART IV: SURVEYS Joan Robinson and her Circle Cambridge Economic Tradition PART V: POLICY New Labour and Constitutional Reform The Economic Policies of Gordon Brown and the Treasury 'Chickens coming home to roost' PART VI: INTELLECTUAL BIOGRAPHIES AND TRIBUTES John Cornwall Wilfred Edward Graham Salter John Richard Wells Alister Sutherland PART VII: GENERAL ESSAYS 'Despised and Rejected' Speech to Commerce Graduates