Re: [OPE-L] questions on the interpretation of labour values

From: Rakesh Bhandari (bhandari@BERKELEY.EDU)
Date: Tue Feb 27 2007 - 23:07:26 EST


>Hi, Rakesh,
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>No. I would reckon all wages as part of the variable capital since what
>counts to me is the collective worker, a concept of Marx that is usually
>forgotten. Therefore there is no need that the price of those industries is
>above or below its regulating centre only for that reason.

Many workers in the high tech industry have been paid in options
rather than just wages. It seems to be a kind of premium or scarcity
rent some highly skilled workers receive or are supposed to receive.
How this affects profit rate equalization and prices in high tech
industries I do not know. Just marking the question.

Rakesh


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>Cheers,
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>Diego
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>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Rakesh Bhandari" <bhandari@BERKELEY.EDU>
>To: <OPE-L@SUS.CSUCHICO.EDU>
>Sent: Tuesday, February 27, 2007 5:36 PM
>Subject: Re: [OPE-L] questions on the interpretation of labour values
>
>>  >
>>>
>>>3) And think of the following as a general reflection: "if there are
>>>taxes,
>>>payments to unproductive labor, rents, or interest payments, the tendency
>>>may be to equalize net profits after deducting these items" (Foley, 1982,
>>>p.
>>>46). It is clear that it is a "tendency", not a short-term fluctuation,
>>>and
>>>also that the resulting prices, that include gross profits, not just net
>>>profits, would be different from production prices in all those cases.
>>
>>
>>Hi Diego,
>>
>>Writing near Silicon Valley...if there are scarcity rents included in
>>the wages of highly skilled labor in what James Galbraith calls the
>>knowledge intensive capital goods industries--and there may not
>>be--does the tendency to equalize profit rates obtain only after
>>deducting such scarcity rent? How would knowledge intensive capital
>>good industries maintain prices above values to pay scarcity rent
>>wages while still receiving the equalized net profit rate? What role
>>do patents and intellectual property rights play in this  or barriers
>>to entry in knowledge intensive capital goods?
>>
>>Yours, Rakesh


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