[OPE] Then and Now: How Marxian interests and perspectives in political economy have changed since the 1970's

Yes, I know this is a big topic. I was tempted to write a long and
relatively
thorough post, but decided that it would be more fun to simply indicate one
change - or two changes - and then let others on the list comment and add
others.

What Fred Lee writes below is true - most radical economic students in
the 70's were interested in input-output theory - and also mathematical
planning techniques. I even remember taking a course in that ("Quantitative
economic policy and planning" taught by Antonio Maria Costa: I did well
in the course but I was really over my head - the whole course was _just_
math formulas; it was basically a 'how to' class). I think it's fair to say
that a lot less radical economists have an interest in that now. Whether
that's
good or bad is another question.

And, of course, every radical economics student in the 70's studied
Sraffa. Really _studied_ Sraffa_ I remember his theory coming up in
class after class that I took at the New School and being part of a
study group which read _PCBMC_. Since that time the interest in Sraffa
and surplus approach theory has faded. I think that's especially true
in Europe where Sraffian theory was once much more popular.
But maybe I'm wrong about this - if so, Gary can correct me.

What other notable changes in interests and perspectives have
occurred?

In solidarity, Jerry

----- Heterodox Economics Newsletter
www.heterodoxnews.com
Issue 82: May 8, 2009
>From the Editor
This past March 2009 Jacob T. Schwartz died. This name probably has no
meaning form most heterodox economists. But in 1961 he published a book on
Lectures on the Mathematical method in Analytical Economics which contained
a section on ‘The Leontief Model and the Technological Basis of Production’
[...] For heterodox economists in the 1960s/70s who were interested in
Sraffa-Leontief models (and most were), Schwartz’s section contained some
very interesting reading, if only because it dealt with a theory of prices,
a topic not usually associated with Leontief models.

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Received on Wed May 13 09:13:13 2009