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Recensione a: Lavoie M. (2022), Post-Keynesian Economics – New Foundations, 2a edizione, Cheltenham (UK) e Northampton (MA, USA): Edward Elgar.

Marc Lavoie's very long (74-page), very stimulating and sometimes very provocative first chapter has the title 'Essentials of heterodox and post-Keynesian economics'. It deals with an extremely broad range of issues in economic methodology and in the sociology (broadly defined) of different schools of thought in economics, in addition to providing a substantial discussion of theoretical and policy questions. Space constraints prevent me from dealing with many of these very interesting and occasionally contentious propositions. Instead I shall confine my contribution to an assessment of Marc's position on the heterodox and orthodox schools of thought (sections 1.2 and 1.3, pp. 4–16); on the related question of 'atomism versus holism' (section 1.3.3, pp. 17–24); on the different post-Keynesian strands, with particular reference to his treatment of Hyman Minsky, Piero Sraffa and Michał Kalecki (section 1.4.3, pp. 40–46); and on the important question of whether we should adopt a 'narrow tent' or 'broad tent' definition of post-Keynesianism (section 1.4.4, pp. 46–49). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines Chapter 5 'Effective Demand and Employment' in Post-Keynesian Economics: New Foundations by Marc Lavoie. This chapter covers one of the most distinctive contributions of the post-Keynesians, and one of its most profound insights. Analysis of effective demand and employment is a crucial and distinct foundation of post-Keynesian economics. Identifying the determinants of the level of employment and output represent one of the most significant contributions of post-Keynesian analysis. This is in total contrast to mainstream theory, according to which the level of output and employment are determined in the labour market, with labour seen as just another commodity, and the wage rate playing the role of the price equating supply and demand for labour. For post-Keynesians, the main determinant of the level of output and employment is the level of effective demand rather than the wage rate. Their views on the labour markets, taking into account segmented labour markets and efficiency wages, are considered. The determinants of profits and the profit share play important roles in the determination of employment and output. It is argued that fiscal policy plays a vital role in economic stabilisation, and that the typical arguments regarding its limitations are incorrect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on an analysis of chapter 4 of Lavoie's magnus opus, Post-Keynesian Economics: New Foundations. It is the opening chapter of the macroeconomic section of the book. As we argue, following Keynes's 'monetary theory of production', but also in line with Schumpeter, starting the discussion over macroeconomics with money makes sense. It is impossible, in post-Keynesian economics, to discuss the real economy independently of the monetary side of the analysis. In this sense, money and production, and debt, are linked within an endogenous money framework. This article covers and discusses all aspects of this chapter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews the chapter on growth and distribution of the 2022 edition of the book Post-Keynesian Economics: New Foundations by Marc Lavoie. The review goes through most of the chapter's main topics, including the main classes of growth and distribution models along post-Keynesian lines and the criticism and extensions of these models. It stresses the macroeconomic paradoxes that result from the relation between aggregate demand and either income distribution or debt dynamics in these models. The review also addresses the new additions to the chapter, among which the recent contributions on the controversy on the convergence towards the normal capacity utilization rate and the non-capacity creating autonomous demand growth models, and Lavoie's new section on wealth and personal income distribution. At last, the review discusses three issues raised by the chapter's reading: the relation between realism and complexity for a model's calibration, the consequences of abstracting the financial side of growth models, and how we address financial issues in growth and stock-flow consistent (SFC) models. The chapter reviewed is balanced and constructive; it critically informs the reader and provides a good map of the post-Keynesian literature on growth and distribution, addressing the canons while bringing novelty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conflicting claims approach to the theory of inflation so thoroughly surveyed and well presented in Chapter 8 of Lavoie's [(2022). Post-Keynesian Economics. New Foundations. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing] book is deservedly becoming increasingly consensual among heterodox (and even some notable mainstream) macroeconomists. However, the relevance of a concept (and the very existence of) a single NAIRU (Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment) derived consistently from the very premises of the conflicting claims approach is still very controversial. In this review article, we will be to argue that a NAIRU is not really useful for the conflicting claims approach. The key aspects explored here are: (1) the different roles of hysteresis in the output and labor markets; (2) the assumptions concerning real profit markups of firms; and (3) the extent to which money wage increases actually incorporate past (or expected) inflation. We also add some remarks regarding the role of changes in international commodity prices and nominal exchange rates that further illustrate the necessary relation between conflicting claims inflation and the theory of distribution and relative prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article represents a systematic presentation of the post-Keynesian alternative to mainstream economic theory. It places observation of reality at the centre of the investigation and derives — through an in-depth examination of post-Keynesian literature — an analytical model capable of interpreting the behaviour of firms in a capitalistic market economy. The chapter on which this article focuses is in a book covering the core elements of this heterodox model, which creates a coherent framework for investigating and interpreting the workings of an economic system that approximates reality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents and discusses chapter two of Marc Lavoie's book Post-Keynesian Economics: New Foundations. It begins by analysing the concepts of uncertainty and rationality which are extremely important for the post Keynesian approach, and for economic theorizing in general. The notions of fundamental uncertainty and the closely related concept of procedural rationality, are employed in order to build the foundations of a theory of household choice. It proceeds by investigating the repercussions of the theory in a lexicographic/hierarchical analytical framework. In this framework, groups consume different goods depending on their respective needs, income effects are more important than substitution effects, and price competition has a secondary role. It is also shown that Lavoie's approach does not only draw from the work of Keynes and other major post-Keynesian theorists, but also utilizes contributions from other strands of heterodox economics, thus providing an agenda for a possible theoretical synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article shows that post-Keynesian economics is more closely tied to the proposal of equality of place rather than that of equality of opportunity. More precisely, it advocates for the approach of utilizing equality of place as a means to attain equality of opportunity. These are two conceptions of social policy. Equality of opportunity distinguishes between poor and non-poor, and state intervention is focused on poor people. This mode of intervention promotes individuals' improvements in human capital, assuming that the poor can reach the position they want through a competitive process. In contrast, the idea of equality of place is intertwined with the concept of decommodification and supply-side subsidies. It envisions a scenario in which markets might not ensure that people can access fundamental rights. Consequently, it suggests an alternate role for state intervention. Because some heterodox and post-Keynesian authors have identified with the principle of equality of opportunity, it is important to clarify the nature of the relationship between social policy and post-Keynesian economics. The principle of equality of place can provide a framework of social policy that is consistent with the tenets of the post-Keynesian tradition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reviewing Marc Lavoie's comprehensive and well-structured discussion of open-economy macroeconomics allows us to revisit some key Post-Keynesian contributions and confirm their continued relevance to our understanding of international economic, financial and monetary relations. In the process Lavoie draws a consistently sharp contrast with standard-theory concepts and models, much of it organized around his elaboration of endogenous money in an international context and modern trade flows embedded in a highly globalized and financialized world economy which have little to do with comparative advantage. He thereby provides us with a conceptual road map for a meta-economic revolution which recognizes that the world economy has a growth dynamic all of its own rather than being just the sum of its parts, the two-hundred or so national economies connected to each other through their balance of payments and exchange rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]