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