[OPE-L:2776] THIS MONTH IN REVIEW [July, 1996]

glevy@pratt.ed (glevy@pratt.edu)
Wed, 31 Jul 1996 09:17:43 -0700 (PDT)

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We now have 40 subscribers. 19 subscribers wrote posts this month
(participation rate = 47.5%). This month began with OPE-L #2590.

Note that as this is still July, the numbers for participation and
posts/thread given below are subject to change.

I. TOPICS DISCUSSED THIS MONTH
===========================

Some of the threads that we discussed at length this month included:

* Marxian empirical research and estimation of abstract labor
[continued from June; this thread also included a discussion of
abstract labor and branched out in other direction, e.g. productive
and unproductive labor, socialism & planning, etc.] (-68- posts);

* Surplus value and relative prices [continued from June] (-26- posts);

* Socialism + planning [arose out of abstract labor thread; includes
"Lenin and state capitalism", "Hayek and planning", and "origins of
state capitalist theories"] (-26- posts);

* Assumptions [continued from May and June] (-15- posts);

* Multiple periods [arose out of thread from previous month called "how
many periods?"; related to transformation and Okishio discussions
from previous months] (-10- posts);

We also discussed more briefly the following other topics:

* classes and wage-labor (continued from June);
* productive and unproductive labor (arose out of "Marxian empirical
research and estimation of abstract labor" thread);
* work and labor;
* puzzles (brought up by Gil: concerns historical-materialist and/or
value theoretic method);
* Gary Becker (arose out of a post written by Patrick for PEN-L).
* commodity money (continued from previous months on 7/30; includes
"social labor vs. socially necessary labor" and "orthodox price
theory").

II. Upcoming Events
===============

* Alan will report soon on the upcoming CAP-L seminar on depreciation.

* Prepare yourself for the upcoming ***CONCEPTION DAY*** celebrations
beginning next week. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

=====================
OVERALL, while July was another summer month in which many are still on
vacation, we managed to discuss a number of significant threads (of the
old, new, borrowed and blue variety) and the participation rate increased
from June (from 33 1/3% to 47 1/2%). I anticipate that posts/month and
participation rates will increase significantly in September.

In OPE-L Solidarity,

Jerry