[OPE-L:4589] Re: Re: Rate of profit or the RRI?

From: Duncan K. Foley (foleyd@cepa.newschool.edu)
Date: Fri Dec 01 2000 - 16:39:26 EST


In the circulating capital model, the RRI and the rate of profit are the same.

Duncan


>Julian,
>
>
>1. I agree Marx never used the RRI.  Note that he transforms values into
>    prices of production with the assumption that capitalists will have
>    equal rate of profits when prices of prodution prevail.
>
>2. Given fixed capital,  no one decides to invest or not to invest on the
>    basis of a simple rate of profit.  That is,  if two capitalists told
>    you what their rates of proft are for a given year, you wouldn't 
>    be able to say which of the two has made the better investment.  More
>    important, another capitalist would not be able to decide whether or
>    not to make the same investment as either of the two had made. 
>
>
>3. Sraffa and others do construct simple models with fixed capital in which
>    the RRI's are equal but the rates of profit as usually defined are not.
>
>4. My questions were a result of my confusion concerning how one makes the
>usual
>    correction of Marx on transfaormation given fixed capital.
>
>
>John
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>At 07:39 PM 11/29/2000 -0000, you wrote:
>>John Ernst wrote [OPE-L:4577]
>>
>>  things
>>I don't get.
>>
>>1.  Is the rate of profit or the RRI equal in all sectors after the
>>transformation? 
>>   
>>
>>John, by RRI are you referring to the rate of return on each *chunk* of
>>investment, as distinguished from the rate of profit calculated over all
>>capital (I think this is the usual usage?).
>>
>>I have to say that it's never occurred to me that Marx might have had in
>>mind equalisation of the RRI, and I don't think I've ever read anything by
>>anyone who appeared to think this.
>>
>>Would you like to enlarge on what prompted your question?
>>
>>Julian
>>
>>

-- 
Duncan K. Foley
Leo Model Professor
Department of Economics
Graduate Faculty
New School University
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