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Edmond Malinvaud This book provides a most welcome survey of what statisticians and economists know about an aspect of production that is difficult to precisely characterize but matters a lot for both its importance on economic performance and its social implications. That such a survey is timely cannot be overemphasized; the point is well argued in the introduction to the book, which shows how discussions of the last decades stressed the importance of capital operating time as an economic variable in a series of distinct but interrelated topics, from growth theory to employment policies. Nowadays still more than ever in the past, production not only requires capital as well as labour but also depends on varied and complex forms of work organization, which tie more or less closely to one another the uses of the two main factors. In industry and services labour needs many pieces of capital for efficient production, some operating permanently others assisting when needed. Many, even among the most modem equipments, cannot well function without constant guidance or control by human labour. The cost of interrupting some industrial processes is so high as to impose continuous operation. The timing for the provision of many services has to be patterned in accordance with the rhythms of activities or requirements of those demanding these services, and so on. This interplay is so complex that its particularities were, and still are most often, fully neglected in statistical information and in economic analysis.
This book is an exploration into the uncharted territory of social reality. It explores social relations and politics, presenting a critique of contemporary socioeconomic systems and discussions on the Marxist Doctrine of Transition. The book is intended to meet Robert Heilbroner's request.
Modern neoclassical economics is a theory of general equilibrium. It is based on highly unrealistic assumptions and yields a number of false predictions. The alternative model, presented in this book, uses a wider definition of technology, and emphasises the role of the entrepreneur as the primary agent of change. Because it takes time for firms to improve their technology, and to acquire the necessary finance for expansion, there are wide differences in firm sizes, and in their profitability. The competitive struggle to develop better technology raises the level of productivity of the whole economy, and leads to higher real incomes.
This collection brings together fifteen essays published between 1994 and 2008 which all look into the contribution of a remarkable group of economists known as the "Cambridge school" or the "Cambridge Keynesians". The people involved are better defined as a "group" rather than a "school", to denote not adhesion to a common body of doctrine but rather the idea of both cohesion and sharing. This collection focuses on Keynes, Kahn, J. Robinson and Sraffa, who all shared in the physical space and lifestyle of the University of Cambridge. The bond between them was intellectual partnership, a recognised common ground, dialogue and acceptance of criticism. Some of the essays in this collection address the content, as well as the method and "style", of the type of economics associated with the Cambridge tradition at the very core of which those economists stand. The first section opens with a chapter presenting the group within the physical and metaphorical place which was Cambridge, and the remaining five chapters centre on the life and work of each economist. The second section has papers looking at them in pairs, as it were, and revolves around the theme of their collaboration in various intellectual achievements. In particular, the opening piece makes the rather bold point that the road to the General Theory was not a solitary path. In other two papers much is said of Sraffa’s intellectual isolation in Cambridge and the difficulty of communication with Joan Robinson. The chapters in the third section take up aspects of their theories and approaches which justify the importance and relevance of the Cambridge tradition in economics. This book should be of interest to students and researchers within the history of economics and economic thought, particularly those focussing on the Cambridge or Keynesian traditions.