Economics is not exactly the sort of profession that generally leads to enduring fame and glamor. The passing of an economist into the long run, even of "famous" ones is usually only remarked upon by academics or the financial press. The death of Janos Kornai is no exception. I had not heard of Kornai's passing … Continue reading The long run of Janos Kornai
Tag: Capitalism
Who’s afraid of Socialism?
As a recent article in the The New Republic notes, the word "socialism" has become virtually meaningless in American politics. President Trump throws the word around as a scare tactic , Kamala Harris disavows it, Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Octavio Cortes celebrate it, while others use it as a euphemism for National Health Insurance. It is not surprising … Continue reading Who’s afraid of Socialism?
A note on “Political Marxism”
I received notice today that my Sabbatical request for Spring 2020 has been approved. This is of course great news. In celebration, I decided to put some thoughts on paper, with the caveat that today's entry, as with my last one, is just "thinking out loud". My hope is by that time I will be … Continue reading A note on “Political Marxism”
Evolutionary Political Economy and Philosophy
In this entry I will lay out a short, preliminary sketch of some philosophical problems in Evolutionary Political Economy. The reader may wish to note that this is part of a planned book length project on evolutionary political economy and that the problems I am writing about today are intended to form at least part … Continue reading Evolutionary Political Economy and Philosophy
The Greatest Trick of the Devil
In a recent Article in American Affairs, economist Phillip Mirowski presents an interesting and cogent argument that Neo-liberalism is a well organized, well funded, and quasi-coherent vision of political economy. He argues for the existence of what he terms a Neo-liberal Thought Collective (NTC) which only partially overlaps with Neo-Classical Economics. In Mirowski's view, the … Continue reading The Greatest Trick of the Devil
Initial Reflections on today’s exchange.
I had a great discussion/exchange of views today with my friend and colleague in the English and Humanities Department, Mich Niyawalo, on The Economic Consequences of the Peace. I can say quite honestly that I learned a bit from Mich's presentation and our conversation afterwards. Professor Niyawalo will be providing me with a written text … Continue reading Initial Reflections on today’s exchange.
Slouching Towards Secular Stagnation: Part 2
In a previous post I discussed the recent turn of some notable mainstream economists towards reconsideration of Alvin Hansen’s thesis of secular stagnation. It would seem that there is a more general trend at work here, which embodies at least two themes: A modest revival of some parts of the “Old Keynesian” class of models, … Continue reading Slouching Towards Secular Stagnation: Part 2
Slouching towards secular stagnation.
Since this is my first post a few prefatory comments are in order. This blog is not necessarily directed (or at least not uniquely directed) at people with a technical understanding of economics. The second prefatory comment is a disclaimer: the last few years of my life have been a blur of either teaching (as … Continue reading Slouching towards secular stagnation.
Citizen Rat 