Ian Steedman - Böcker

Ricardo, Marx, Jevons and Wicksteed all feature prominently in the following twelve essays - and, indeed, a number of other economists of the past, from Cantillon onwards, will be found to play a role. Nevertheless, these essays do not, for the most part, constitute history of thought for the genuine historian of thought; they are, rather, attempts to broach more general issues via a tolerably close study of particular texts. The first six essays concern issues in classical political economy, particularly - though not exclusively - that of Ricardo and Marx. The previously unpublished essay 7 provides a bridge to the second half of the volume, discussing Wicksteed's first work in political economy, his 1884 J evonian critique of Marx, and some of the debates which that work provoked. Jevons and Wicksteed are also central to essays 8-10. The final three essays (of which 10 and 11 were previously not readily available) are all concerned with various aspects of preferences and of the complex motivations lying behind economic actions.Are the following essays, then, to be classified as 'history of economic thought' or as 'economic theory'? No, they are not: such classification would be futile. What matters is whether or not they are honest in the rendering of other writers' works, accurate in reasoning and both stimulating and enjoyable to read.

This book is concerned with issues in classical political economy, particularly that of David Ricardo and Karl Marx, discussing P. H. Wicksteed's work in political economy and his 1884 Jevonian critique of Marx. It focuses on the relations between rationality and altruism.

The rise to dominance of marginalist economics coincided with a major increase in the spread of socialist ideas. As many socialist and Marxist thinkers were preocuppied with economic questions this was scarcely a development that could be ignored. Socialists either had to defend Marxist economics against marginalist criticism or show that socialism and marginalism were compatible. This volume explores the varied socialist responses in a number of major European countries including Italy, France, Russia and German speaking countries.

Standard economic theory of consumer behaviour considers consumers' preferences, their incomes and commodity prices to be the determinants of consumption. However, consumption takes time and no consumer has more - or less - than 168 hours per week. This simple fact is almost invisible in standard theory, and takes the centre stage in this book. Whether one is 'money-rich but time-poor' or is 'money-poor and killing time', both money and time considerations matter.Recognition that consumers are subject to both time and expenditure constraints makes a real difference to the economic theory of consumption. 'Two-constraint' theory is genuinely different in various respects from the familiar one-constraint theory. Income effects, substitution effects etc. have to be reconsidered, expenditure functions have to be redefined, and the results are sometimes surprising. It is not only the positive theory of consumption and labour supply that must be reworked, welfare economics too changes significantly when time constraints on consumption are given their proper due. The focus on time not only changes the comparative states of consumer theory, but it also overcomes some of the more artificial barriers between social theory and practical, everyday matters of altruism and interpersonal decision taking.

Standard economic theory of consumer behaviour considers consumers' preferences, their incomes and commodity prices to be the determinants of consumption. However, consumption takes time and no consumer has more - or less - than 168 hours per week. This simple fact is almost invisible in standard theory, and takes the centre stage in this book.

A PDF version of this book is available for free in open access via www.tandfebooks.com as well as the OAPEN Library platform, www.oapen.org. It has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 license and is part of the OAPEN-UK research project.There is growing evidence that rising levels of prosperity in Western economies since 1945 have not been matched by greater incidences of reported well-being and happiness. Indeed, material affluence is often accompanied instead by greater social and individual distress. A growing literature within the humanities and social sciences is increasingly concerned to chart not only the underlying trends in recorded levels of happiness, but to consider what factors, if any, contribute to positive and sustainable experiences of well-being and quality of life. Increasingly, such research is focusing on the importance of values and beliefs in human satisfaction or quality of life; but the specific contribution of religion to these trends is relatively under-examined. This unique collection of essays seeks to rectify that omission, by identifying the nature and role of the religious contribution to wellbeing.A unique collection of nineteen leading scholars from the field of economics, psychology, public theology and social policy have been brought together in this volume to explore the religious contribution to the debate about happiness and well-being. These essays explore the religious dimensions to a number of key features of well-being, including marriage, crime and rehabilitation, work, inequality, mental health, environment, participation, institutional theory, business and trade. They engage particularly closely with current trends in economics in identifying alternative models of economic growth which focus on its qualitative as well as quantitative dimensions. This distinctive volume brings to public notice the nature and role of religion’s contribution to wellbeing, including new ways of measurement and evaluation. As such, it represents a valuable and unprecedented resource for the development of a broad-based religious contribution to the field. It will be of particular relevance for those who are concerned about the continuing debate about personal and societal well-being, as well as those who are interested in the continuing significance of religion for the future of public policy.

This collection brings together significant new contributions to the Sraffa--based theories of production and distribution, from post-Keynesian arguments concerning monetary and macro economics to the history of thought and methodology. All of the authors are well established authorities in their field, and in this book they add stimulating and original pieces of analysis to the contemporary literature.Production, Distribution and Trade is divided into three parts. The first explores analytical issues in production and exchange theory, the second examines Postkeynesian Macroeconomics and the final part includes essays on the history of economic thought and methodology. This collection has been written in honour of Sergio Parrinello and is a fitting tribute to his untiring efforts to stimulate discussion among Classicists, Marxists, Postkeynesians, and Evolutionists.The book is a clear and convincing attempt to prove that an alternative paradigm to mainstream economics is alive and thriving and to argue that these perspectives shed better light on current economic problems, both as diagnosis and in terms of policy conclusions. The book will be of interest to Economics postgraduate students and researchers working in the Classical and Postkeynesian tradition.

Heinz Kurz is recognised internationally as a leading economic theorist and a foremost historian of economic thought. This book pays tribute to his outstanding contributions by bringing together a unique collection of new essays by distinguished economists from around the world.Classical Political Economy and Modern Theory comprises twenty essays, grouped thematically into five sections. Part I examines political economy and its critique, Part II looks at entrepreneurship, evolution and income distribution, Part III discusses Cambridge, Keynes and macroeconomics, Part IV explores crisis and cycles, whilst Part V is dedicated to personal reminiscences. The essays in this book will be an invaluable source of inspiration for economists interested in economic theory and in the evolution of economic thought. They will also be of interest to postgraduate and research students specialising in economic theory and in the history of economic thought.

A PDF version of this book is available for free in open access via www.tandfebooks.com as well as the OAPEN Library platform, www.oapen.org. It has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 license and is part of the OAPEN-UK research project.There is growing evidence that rising levels of prosperity in Western economies since 1945 have not been matched by greater incidences of reported well-being and happiness. Indeed, material affluence is often accompanied instead by greater social and individual distress. A growing literature within the humanities and social sciences is increasingly concerned to chart not only the underlying trends in recorded levels of happiness, but to consider what factors, if any, contribute to positive and sustainable experiences of well-being and quality of life. Increasingly, such research is focusing on the importance of values and beliefs in human satisfaction or quality of life; but the specific contribution of religion to these trends is relatively under-examined. This unique collection of essays seeks to rectify that omission, by identifying the nature and role of the religious contribution to wellbeing.A unique collection of nineteen leading scholars from the field of economics, psychology, public theology and social policy have been brought together in this volume to explore the religious contribution to the debate about happiness and well-being. These essays explore the religious dimensions to a number of key features of well-being, including marriage, crime and rehabilitation, work, inequality, mental health, environment, participation, institutional theory, business and trade. They engage particularly closely with current trends in economics in identifying alternative models of economic growth which focus on its qualitative as well as quantitative dimensions. This distinctive volume brings to public notice the nature and role of religion’s contribution to wellbeing, including new ways of measurement and evaluation. As such, it represents a valuable and unprecedented resource for the development of a broad-based religious contribution to the field. It will be of particular relevance for those who are concerned about the continuing debate about personal and societal well-being, as well as those who are interested in the continuing significance of religion for the future of public policy.

This collection brings together significant new contributions to the Sraffa--based theories of production and distribution, from post-Keynesian arguments concerning monetary and macro economics to the history of thought and methodology. All of the authors are well established authorities in their field, and in this book they add stimulating and original pieces of analysis to the contemporary literature.Production, Distribution and Trade is divided into three parts. The first explores analytical issues in production and exchange theory, the second examines Postkeynesian Macroeconomics and the final part includes essays on the history of economic thought and methodology. This collection has been written in honour of Sergio Parrinello and is a fitting tribute to his untiring efforts to stimulate discussion among Classicists, Marxists, Postkeynesians, and Evolutionists.The book is a clear and convincing attempt to prove that an alternative paradigm to mainstream economics is alive and thriving and to argue that these perspectives shed better light on current economic problems, both as diagnosis and in terms of policy conclusions. The book will be of interest to Economics postgraduate students and researchers working in the Classical and Postkeynesian tradition.

One of the fruits of the revival of socialist economic theory over the past decade has been a wide-ranging debate about the validity of Marx's labour theory of value. At the heart of the discussion stands the theoretical work of Piero Sraffa and the conclusions drawn from it by such economists as Ian Steedman. Initially confined to a relatively narrow circle of specialists, the controversy about value theory has since spread to wider circles of the left. But although general awareness that the stakes of the dispute are of concern to all socialists is now extensive, understanding of the issues involved has remained more restricted than need be. This volume presents, for the first time, a comprehensive yet accessible overview of the discussion. The essays discuss not only the value debate itself, but also its relevance to such issues as capitalist crisis, the theory of exploitation, and historical materialism. Comprehensible to the non-specialist, but without sacrificing rigour or oversimplifying the issues, the articles assembled here offer a definitive summary of the current state of one of the crucial aspects of Marxist thought.

This highly original book develops a systematic zero-net-profit comparative statics theory of the firm that challenges many widely held views in microeconomics. It builds a bridge between the marginalist long-run theory of the firm and Sraffian theory to create a unified theoretical framework that explains how firms react to exogenous shocks resulting in new equilibrium positions of the whole economy. The central message of the book is that too often economists expect more from the microeconomic laws of input demand and output supply than they can really give. The authors show that the zero-net-profit condition requires a more articulated analysis that sometimes yields qualitative results contrary to those of familiar economic laws. Written for academic researchers and graduate students, the book will be of particular interest to those working on the microeconomics of industry equilibrium, comparative statics and Sraffian economics.

This highly original book develops a systematic zero-net-profit comparative statics theory of the firm that challenges many widely held views in microeconomics. It builds a bridge between the marginalist long-run theory of the firm and Sraffian theory to create a unified theoretical framework that explains how firms react to exogenous shocks resulting in new equilibrium positions of the whole economy. The central message of the book is that too often economists expect more from the microeconomic laws of input demand and output supply than they can really give. The authors show that the zero-net-profit condition requires a more articulated analysis that sometimes yields qualitative results contrary to those of familiar economic laws. Written for academic researchers and graduate students, the book will be of particular interest to those working on the microeconomics of industry equilibrium, comparative statics and Sraffian economics.

Heinz Kurz is recognised internationally as a leading economic theorist and a foremost historian of economic thought. This book pays tribute to his outstanding contributions by bringing together a unique collection of new essays by distinguished economists from around the world.Classical Political Economy and Modern Theory comprises twenty essays, grouped thematically into five sections. Part I examines political economy and its critique, Part II looks at entrepreneurship, evolution and income distribution, Part III discusses Cambridge, Keynes and macroeconomics, Part IV explores crisis and cycles, whilst Part V is dedicated to personal reminiscences. The essays in this book will be an invaluable source of inspiration for economists interested in economic theory and in the evolution of economic thought. They will also be of interest to postgraduate and research students specialising in economic theory and in the history of economic thought.

The rise to dominance of marginalist economics coincided with a major increase in the spread of socialist ideas. As many socialist and Marxist thinkers were preocuppied with economic questions this was scarcely a development that could be ignored. Socialists either had to defend Marxist economics against marginalist criticism or show that socialism and marginalism were compatible. This volume explores the varied socialist responses in a number of major European countries including Italy, France, Russia and German speaking countries.

In 1960, Piero Sraffa's Production of Commodities by Means of Commodities considered the fundamental issues that had been ignored in some existing theories of capital, value and distribution, and by doing so he laid the foundations for a critique of the marginal theory of value and distribution. The papers in these volumes both introduce the reader to the central themes of Sraffa's book and provide the detailed critique for which Sraffa paved the way.