[OPE-L:6405] What do you teach in your Micro and IO classes?
McGlownet (McGlownet@aol.com)
Thu, 2 Apr 1998 13:46:48 EST
Gerry,
I have to be brief. Ajit will, of course, teach what he wants to. But
let me show the benefit out pointing out the existence of an interpretation or
paradigm. I think what you did by listing several alternatives was very
helpful for thinking about what alternatives are out there. How long did it
take you? It took me a few moments to read. I learned of the existence of at
least one alternative that I may not have known of. Let me ask you, what is
"Open Marxism"? Secondly, it is not really my intention to isolate TSS and
prove it's more suppressed than other interpretations. The point that I heard
developed at the EEA meeting is that temporal perspectives are suppressed in
Keynesianism, Neoclassicism, Marxism and others. So, I didn't here Alan
Freeman isolating TSS from this general trend in his presentation at the EEA
on this issue. You also make an interesting point that TSS is related to so-
called Macro issues. I think we could get some interesting developments if we
could get a panel together on this for next year. Richard Torz has expressed
some interest in participating in a panel like that. He would probably do a
critique of rational expections in relation to TSS. Gerry, TSS has so much to
say about price determination that I don't see why you want to draw such a
sharp line between Marshallian concepts and capitalist production as a whole.
Marxism is a different paradigm than Micro. I quite agree with your aside on
that point.
Gerry, you wrote: "If, for instance, someone from a TSS perspective has
written about the changing forms of competition in different branches of
production under late capitalism (a micro subject) then I would be interested
in reading that work (or works)." Yes, Eduardo Maldonado-Fihlo has written on
that subject. I will send his paper to you.
But, trying to fit the TSS interpretation of some of Marx's concept's
into another paradigm will, I think, at some point become forced, especially
within a non-Marxist course paradigm. Ajit's course was different, raised
issues on our ground, and made me think about what a course that included TSS
and its perspective on use-value vs. labor time as determinants of value and
price. I think your original question on what to teach in micro and IO is
interesting and if I can get some time this summer I will put together a new
syllabus for my undergraduate micro class that incorporates alternatives.
I have to run, all for now,
Ted