Every time the economy goes through a period of crisis, Keynes’ name is called upon by economists and politicians from diverse backgrounds. However, 70 years after the publication of The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, specialists are still far—maybe everyday further—from reaching agreement about the genuine contents of Keynes’ most important work. This controversy has been marked by a paradoxical turn: it is above all the literature about Keynes which, in the last decades, has imposed the terms of the debate, while The General Theory lacks readers. Accused by both its detractors and admirers of being a confusing book that is inconsistent and even plagued with logical errors, the most important contribution of the most influential economist of the 20th century has been condemned to be forgotten or, at best, to live uncomfortably in the voices of those who have spoken on his behalf. This book is the result of rigorous critical research which reconstructs the spectrum of discussion surrounding Keynes’ main work. The book begins by describing the historical background and the state of the pre-Keynesian economic theory, subsequently immersing the reader in a concise but detailed—as well as innovative— interpretation of the original text. The revision of some of the main interpretative currents prepares the field for the book’s ultimate contribution: the identification of the fundamentals that sustain the analytical structure of The General Theory. At the same time, this exploration of the theoretical fundamentals of The General Theory makes this book an original intervention on the genesis and relevance of the divide between micro and macroeconomics—a division that has been fully accepted by contemporary macro theorists.

Within Post-Keynesian economics there is a spectrum of approaches to theories of the firm but what they have in common, to their great benefit, is a proper integration of the concept of radical uncertainty: data that cannot be known. This book revisits Kalecki’s theory of the firm is located to show that it constitutes fertile theoretical ground on which to systematically understand the resultant indeterminacy when firms operate under conditions of radical uncertainty. The author proposes a way of generalising radical uncertainty by integrating some of the separate approaches within Post-Keynesian economics centred around Kalecki’s work. Through this, it is shown that radical uncertainty does more than just change the ultimate motivation of firms (dropping short run profit maximisation; more complex motivation; interconnectivity with the environment), it is central to the emergence, existence and motivation of firms, and critically also firm strategy. It is argued that firms do not simply respond to uncertainty: it is the systematic cause of their intentional behaviour. Through developing these arguments, the book also contributes to the methodology of Kalecki and Shackle, as well as Kaleckian price theory. This book will be important reading for anyone interested in theories of the firm, Post-Keynesian economics and heterodox approaches to economics more broadly.

This is a major contribution to post-Keynesian thought. With studies of the key pioneers - Keynes himself, Kalecki, Kahn, Goodwin, Kaldor, Joan Robinson, Sraffa and Pasinetti - G. C. Harcourt emphasizes their positive contributions to theories of distribution, pricing, accumulation, endogenous money and growth. The propositions of earlier chapters are brought together in an integrated narrative and interpretation of the major episodes in advanced capitalist economics in the post-war period, leading to a discussion of the relevance of post-Keynesian ideas to both our understanding of economics and to policy-making. The appendices include biographical sketches of the pioneers and analysis of the conceptual core of their discontent with orthodox theories. Drawing on the author's experience of teaching and researching over fifty years, this book will appeal to undergraduate and graduate students interested in alternative approaches to theoretical, applied and policy issues in economics, as well as to teachers and researchers in economics.

This book sets out the foundations of post-Keynesian price theory. Blending theory and analysis it is the first comprehensive assessment of post-Keynesian price theory and its foundations. Scholars and students will particularly welcome the emphasis on the non-neoclassical and non-equilibrium nature of post-Keynesian price theory.

This volume seeks to go beyond the microeconomic view of wages as a cost having negative consequences on a given firm, to consider the positive macroeconomic dynamics associated with wages as a major component of aggregate demand.

Joseph Halevi, Geoff Harcourt, Peter Kriesler and J. W. Nevile bring together a collection of their most influential papers on post-Keynesian thought. Their work stresses the importance of the underlying institutional framework, of the economy as a historical process and, therefore, of path determinacy. In addition, their essays suggest the ultimate goal of economics is as a tool to inform policy and make the world a better place, with better being defined by an overriding concern with social justice. Volume I analyses the contributions of Keynes, Harrod and Kalecki.

"In all, New Directions in Post-Keynesian Economics proves that the intellectual vision for the realization of the Keynesian revolution is abundant. John Hillard, European Association for Evolutionary Political Economy Newsletter "The Pheby-edited essays should prove useful to anyone interested in post-Keynesian economics. The level of exposition makes them accessible to advanced undergraduates without being too pedestrian for scholars in the field. Dudley Dillard, The Eastern Economics Journal

Edited by three very well known academics in the field and contributed to by John Smithin, Laurence Moss and G. C. Harcourt, this volume reflects the breath of the honouree‘s interests and as such it covers a wide range of topics including political economy, labour economics, history of economic thought and macroeconomics.Ingrid Rima, one of the fi

In the first part of the book, Eckhard Hein presents a comprehensive overview of the main approaches towards distribution and growth including the contributions of Harrod and Domar, old and new neoclassical theories including the fundamental capital controversy critique, the post-Keynesian contributions of Kaldor, Pasinetti, Thirlwall and Robinson, and finally the approaches by Kalecki and Steindl. In the second part of the book neo- and post-Kaleckian models are gradually developed, introducing saving from wages, international trade, technological progress, interest and credit. Issues of 'financialisation' are also explored and empirical results related to the different models are presented.