Re: costs of unproductive labor
Paul Cockshott (wpc@CS.STRATH.AC.UK)
Wed, 21 Jan 1998 09:01:58 -0000
>
> If you do accept a distinction between unproductive and productive labour
> in a capitalist enterprise, which I do not think is ultimately necessary,
I
> think the best way of dealing with the "costs of unproductive labour" is
to
> use the distinction between capital stocks and and flows, including the
> costs of unproductive labour in the stock of capital required to sustain
a
> given flow of productively used variable and constant capital, so that
the
> presence of "costs of unproductive labour" shows up as an increase in
the
> turnover period of capital, and thus as depressing the rate of profit.
This
> would avoid confusion between such wage costs and variable capital (but
> without, in turn, confusing such costs with constant capital) and also
get
> the requirement that such costs reduce the rate of profit.
This is incoherent at the most basic accounting level. The figure in the
NIA
for unproductive labour will be in million dollars per annum, as such
this can not be a stock.