Marx Veblen And The Foundations Of Heterodox Economics

John F. Henry is an eminent economist who has made important contributions to heterodox economics drawing on Adam Smith, Karl Marx, Thorstein Veblen, and John Maynard Keynes. His historical approach offers radical insights into the evolution of ideas (ideologies and theories) giving rise to and/or induced by the changes in capitalist society. Essays collected in this festschrift not only evaluate John Henry’s contributions in connection to Marx’s and Veblen’s theories, but also apply them to the socio-economic issues in the 21st century. In Part I leading heterodox economists in the traditions of Marxism, Post Keynesianism, and Institutionalism critically examine Marx’s and Veblen’s theoretical frameworks (and their connections to each other) that have become the foundations of heterodox economics. Chapters in Part II showcase alternative theoretical explanations inspired by Marx, Veblen, and Henry. Topics in this Part include financial crisis, financialization, capital accumulation, economics teaching, and the historical relationship between money and class society. Part III is devoted to John Henry’s heterodox economics encapsulated in his "farewell" lecture, interview, and bibliography. Essays in this book, individually and collectively, make an important point that the history of economic thought (or historical analysis of economic theory and policy) is an integral part of developing heterodox economics as an alternative theoretical framework. Anyone who is troubled by the recurring failure of capitalism as well as mainstream economics will find this book well worth reading.

Marx has never been very influential among Western economists, but the collapse of all types of socialist movements has reinforced the belief that Marx is irrelevant for economic analysis. At the same time, some heterodox economists have claimed that neoclassical theory is sufficiently flexible to provide a foundation for post-Keynesians, institutionalists, evolutionary and feminist economists. We argue that both conclusions are incorrect and that Marx's treatment of agents' choices and constraints, and of systemic cooperation and conflict, is far superior to that of orthodoxy in several crucial respects and can provide a better grounding for non-neoclassical analyses.

This collection of essays honors the life and work of one of the most prominent and fervent heterodox economists, Frederic S. Lee, who has been at the heart of the heterodox economics movements for the past three decades. Authors in this book demonstrate that heterodox economic has transcended the criticism of mainstream economics and, more importantly, that constructive developments are in the making by way of cross-communications among various heterodox economics traditions. Frederic S. Lee’s contributions to heterodox economics are centered on three themes: the making of a history and identity of heterodox economics, heterodox microeconomics, and the heterodox analysis of social provisioning. Part I addresses the importance of history, theory, research methods, and institutions in the making of the identity of heterodox economics as an alternative to mainstream economics. Part II delves into heterodox microeconomic theories—in particular, investment, pricing, competition, markets, and market governance—as foundations of heterodox macroeconomic analyses. Part III expands the analysis of the capitalist social provisioning process with an emphasis on its subsystems and their relationships over historical time. Part IV encapsulates the life and work of Frederic S. Lee. Throughout his intellectual life Frederic S. Lee has shown to many that the development of heterodox economics is rendered possible by unselfish and ceaseless efforts to build both theory and institutions. Essays in this book attest that establishing an alternative critical theory to the status quo is not only possible but also serviceable to the majority of the population.

The Socialist Economics of Karl Marx and His Followers' was first published in 1906, in the Quarterly Journal of Economics. It's author, Thorstein Veblen, was the son of Norwegian American immigrants. He grew up to become a prominent economist and sociologist, producing many books and articles, and is often remembered for his use evolutionary theory to develop a 20th century theory of economics. We are republishing this work with a brand new introductory biography.

Marxian economics refers to a heterodox school of economic thought. Its foundations can be traced back to the critique of classical political economy in the research by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. Marxian economics refers to several different theories and includes multiple schools of thought. Marx's magnum opus on political economy was "Das Kapital" in three volumes. Other notable works on economy include: "The Critique Of The Political Economy" as well as the books which preceded "Das Kapital", "Wage-Labor and Capital" and "Wages, Price and Profit". Contents: Wage-Labor and Capital Free Trade Wages, Price and Profit Capital A Contribution to The Critique Of The Political Economy

This volume explores the largely unexamined question of the logical method employed by Marx in the construction of his economic theory in Capital. The most important methodological issues discussed include the nature and significance of dialectical logic, the relation between essence and appearance, the order of determination between aggregate economic magnitudes and individual magnitudes, and the similarities between Marx's logical method and the method of Hegel.

This thought-provoking volume seeks to answer some of the ultimate economic questions in terms of a theory that emerged with Adam Smith and is now come to full fruition; the principle of circular and cumulative causation (CCC) This full-fledged theoretical framework explains the whole interplay of technology, firms, resources, culture, institutions and economic policy to understand the basic drives behind modern day economic dynamics.

What do modern academic economists do? What currently is mainstream economics? What is neoclassical economics? And how about heterodox economics? How do the central concerns of modern economists, whatever their associations or allegiances, relate to those traditionally taken up in the discipline? And how did economics arrive at its current state? These and various cognate questions and concerns are systematically pursued in this new book by Tony Lawson. The result is a collection of previously published and new papers distinguished in providing the only comprehensive and coherent account of these issues currently available. The financial crisis has not only revealed weaknesses of the capitalist economy but also highlighted just how limited and impoverished is modern academic economics. Despite the failings of the latter being more widely acknowledged now than ever, there is still an enormous amount of confusion about their source and true nature. In this collection, Tony Lawson also identifies the causes of the discipline’s failings and outlines a transformative solution to its deficiencies. Amongst other things, Lawson advocates for the adoption of a more historical and philosophical orientation to the study of economics, one that deemphasizes the current focus on mathematical modelling while maintaining a high level of analytical rigour. In so doing Lawson argues for a return to long term systematic and sustained projects, in the manner pursued by the likes of Marx, Veblen, Hayek and Keynes, concerned first and foremost with advancing our understanding of social reality. Overall, this forceful and persuasive collection represents a major intervention in the on-going debates about the nature, state and future direction of economics.