Essays In Keynesian Persuasion

This collection of essays of provides a comprehensive and detailed account of several aspects of the Cambridge School of Economics, which featured a number of outstanding figures such as Keynes, Sraffa, Kahn, and Joan Robinson. Scholars interested in heterodox economics, the history of economic thought and political economy will find in this book the Keynesian leitmotivs—the fight against unemployment, and the roles of money and uncertainty—which make Keynes’s legacy relevant for today’s world. The contributions here are written in the spirit of Keynes, and are persuasive and accessible to the general public.

"Essays in Persuasion" is a collection of essays written by John Maynard Keynes. The book covers a wide range of topics, including the Treaty of Peace, inflation and deflation, the return to the gold standard, politics, and the future. It includes essays such as "The Capacity of Germany to pay Reparations," "The French Franc," "The Great Slump of 1930," "The End of Laissez-faire," and "Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren." These essays offer Keynes' insights and arguments on economic and political issues of the time.

A fascinating collection of essays and articles written by Keynes between 1919 and 1931. These beautifully written essays on economics were intended for a general audience, and are notably free of academic jargon

Leading economists revisit a provocative essay by John Maynard Keynes, debating Keynes's vision of growth, inequality, work, leisure, entrepreneurship, consumerism, and the search for happiness in the twenty-first century. In 1931 distinguished economist John Maynard Keynes published a short essay, “Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren,” in his collection Essays in Persuasion. In the essay, he expressed optimism for the economic future despite the doldrums of the post-World War I years and the onset of the Great Depression. Keynes imagined that by 2030 the standard of living would be dramatically higher; people, liberated from want (and without the desire to consume for the sake of consumption), would work no more than fifteen hours a week, devoting the rest of their time to leisure and culture. In Revisiting Keynes, leading contemporary economists consider what Keynes got right in his essay—the rise in the standard of living, for example—and what he got wrong—such as a shortened work week and consumer satiation. In so doing, they raise challenging questions about the world economy and contemporary lifestyles in the twenty-first century. The contributors—among them, four Nobel laureates in economics—point out that although Keynes correctly predicted economic growth, he neglected the problems of distribution and inequality. Keynes overestimated the desire of people to stop working and underestimated the pleasures and rewards of work—perhaps basing his idea of “economic bliss” on the life of the English gentleman or the ideals of his Bloomsbury group friends. In Revisiting Keynes, Keynes's short essay—usually seen as a minor divertissement compared to his other more influential works—becomes the catalyst for a lively debate among some of today's top economists about economic growth, inequality, wealth, work, leisure, culture, and consumerism. Contributors William J. Baumol, Leonardo Becchetti, Gary S. Becker, Michele Boldrin, Jean-Paul Fitoussi, Robert H. Frank, Richard B. Freeman, Benjamin M. Friedman, Axel Leijonhufvud, David K. Levine, Lee E. Ohanian, Edmund S. Phelps, Luis Rayo, Robert Solow, Joseph E. Stiglitz, Fabrizio Zilibotti

Most of the essays in this book were first collected together in October 1931, immediately after Britain had left the gold standard. They reflected Keynes's attempts over the previous dozen years to influence public opinion and policy over the Treaty of Versailles, over which he had resigned from the Treasury in June 1919, reparations and inter-allied war debts, stabilisation policy, the gold standard and the shape of liberal politics in Britain. In 1972 the essays were reprinted with the full texts of the pamphlets - Can Lloyd George Do It?, The Economic Consequences of Mr Churchill, A Short View of Russia and The End of Laissez Faire. At that time, the full texts of his two post-1931 pamphlets - The Means to Prosperity and How to Pay for the War - were added. The book contains examples of Keynes's finest writing on economic policy and politics. This edition includes an introduction by Donald Moggridge.