[OPE-L:966] Re: Request for ctitiques of Lucas.

Gilbert Skillman (gskillman@mail.wesleyan.edu)
Tue, 6 Feb 1996 07:54:31 -0800

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This responds to the spirit rather than the letter of the request,
but may I suggest John Roemer's work, either in semi-populized form
(FREE TO LOSE) or his more technical monographs A GENERAL
THEORY OF EXPLOITATION AND CLASS and ANALYTICAL
FOUNDATIONS OF MARXIAN ECONOMIC THEORY. Although
there are limitations to Roemer's work, in particular his neglect of
strategic and dynamic issues in Marxian analysis, it is powerful in
demonstrating that one cannot ignore Marxian issues of exploitation
and class simply by adopting a nominally neoclassical analytical framework.

Gil Skillman

> Dear friends;
>
> This request may not directly relate to the recent debates in Ope-l, but
> must be in accord to our spirit of international and theoretical
> co-operation. It may also be related to some communications among us about
> the purpoase of Ope-l. A friend of mine, Professor Shu Sho-bun in Chinese
> Academy for Scoial Sciences in Peking, gave me a letter where he asks me to
> send him some materials concerning critiques of Lucas, rational expectations
> and new neo-classical economics. According to him, neo-liberalism gains power
> even in Chinese academia, and needs to be presented Marxian and good
> non-Marxian critiques of such a trend. I would like to ask for your help to
> inform me bibliographical note even in a few lines on this matter.
>
> If socialism should be defended in China upon a basis of Marxian theories,
> this request by Shu must not be neglected. I suggest that our
> communication in Ope-l should in one way or the other be concerned
> about a future of socialism, and should serve to present theoretical
> ground for socialist ideas, including critiques of neo-classical economics.
> Though I am going to visit China and plan to lecture on my book, Political
> Economy for Socialism (Macmillan and St.Marin's), in relation to my
> understanding of Capital, I personally can not help them much on rational
> expectaion school. Still I believe that we should co-operate to support
> Chinese Marxian friends by applying our common study of Capital for modern
> critique of political economy. In a round way, this sort of topic would also
> be useful to calrify what advantages Marxian thoeries of value and prices
> which are discussed among us have against neo-classisism.
>
> Thanks in advance for some of your response with best wishes for all,
> Makoto Itoh
>
>