The Marginal Productivity Theory Of Distribution

John Pullen presents a critical history of the concept of the Marginal Profit Theory of Distribution looking at the contributions of its proponents (eg Stigler) and its critics (eg Pareto) and stressing the continuity of the debate.

What would be the rate of wages, if labor and capital were to remain fixed in quantity, if improvements in the mode of production were to stop, if the consolidating of capital were to cease and if the wants of consumers were never to alter? The question assumes, of course, that industry shall go on, and that, notwithstanding a paralysis of the forces of progress, wealth shall continue to be created under the influence of a perfectly unobstructed competition. -from the Preface John Bates Clark was the first American economist with an international reputation-this revolutionary 1899 work is what brought him that distinction. In clear, lucid language that makes his economic philosophy so plain we take it for granted today, Clark lays out his Marginal Productivity Theory of Distribution, a rebuttal to Marx and an apologetic for capitalism. Insisting that in a competitive market economy, all work is fully and fairly recompensed and all labor and capital are, in a very real sense, equal components, Clark shattered then widely held theories of economics with his groundbreaking thesis. And his work continues to influence the global financial situation today. American economist JOHN BATES CLARK (1847-1938), who also wrote the significant The Philosophy of Wealth (1885), was professor of political economy at Columbia University and one of the founders of the American Economic Association. The prestigious John Bates Clark Medal for economic thought is named for him.

The Cambridge, England, critique of the marginal productivity theory of distribution is hard to disentangle from the related theories and developments that occurred alongside it. These include value theory, price theory, capital theory, growth theory and methodology. Indeed, in the event, I found it impossible to disentangle them and I argue in the concluding section that not being able to do so is no bad thing anyway. The economists associated with the critique - Krishna Bharadwaj, Pierangelo Garegnani, Richard Kahn, Nicholas Kaldor, Luigi Pasinetti, Joan Robinson, Piero Sraffa - were simultaneously developing their own theories of distribution to replace marginal productivity. Their theories were embodied in theories of growth and reflected the methodology associated with the critique and their own developments.

Production and Distribution Theories became a landmark in the study of economics when it was published in 1941. Nobel Laureate Stigler's book was the first to trace the development of theories alongside the history of economic thought. Stigler's pioneering effort remains a classic work on the evolution of distribution theory during a critical juncture in the development of modern industrial capitalism. Stigler examines the writings of major economists during the century, including William Stanley Jevons, Phillip Wicksteed, Alfred Marshall, F.Y. Edgeworth, and Leon Walras. He uses their works in order to show a variety of perspectives on distribution theory. Among the methods of thought he explores are neoclassical price theory and marginal productivity theory. In the new introduction, Douglas Irwin illustrates how this book came into being and notes its continuing significance to the study of economics. Joseph Schumpeter commented in his History of Economic Analysis that "this excellent work by a competent theorist is perhaps the best survey in existence of the theoretical work of that period's leaders and is strongly recommended." This judgment still stands. The book will be of great interest to those interested not only in neoclassical economics, but also in the sources of Stigler's economic thought.

This book brings together the work of scholars who have written for it independent essays in their areas of particular expertise in the general field of income distribution. The first eight chapters provide a review of the major theories of income distribution, while the final two are con cerned with problems of empirical estimates and inferences. One of these chapters presents estimates of factor shares in national income in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada, while the other ex amines how relationships between the size distribution of income and economic development are being investigated. A convenient way of conveying an understanding of how economic theorists have dealt with the distribution of income is to examine separ ately each major approach to this subject. Each contributor was thus assigned a particular approach, or a major theorist. No attempt was made to avoid the apparent duplication that occurs when the same references are examined by different contributors. The reader gains by seeing how the same material can be treated by those looking at it from different perspectives. A chapter each has been devoted to Marx and Marshall.

This revision guide summarizes the essential elements of economics theory in a pocket sized book. Written with the needs of students in mind, it indicates relationships between areas of study, and presents the important points with a visual impact, making them easier to remember.

This is a well-grounded restatement, defense, and development of the theory of income distribution in both its micro- and macroeconomic aspects. The author, an authority in the field who has spent many years developing the ideas in this book, balances neoclassical theories with Keynesian and ""radical"" approaches. He considers income distribution theory in terms of ideology, statistics, micro- and macroeconomics, income policies, and the poverty problem. The result is a distinctive and comprehensive treatment of a subject that has polarized many economists over many decades. Bronfenbrenner reacts against conventional theories that concentrate on output markets, virtually ignoring input prices. He also opposes the brand of institutionalism that regards ""democratic business unionism"" as an American institution that can do no wrong. Overall, Bronfenbrenner presents an eclectic defense of a ""traditional"" theory of economics that has been under attack from rival viewpoints with insufficient rebuttal, and that proves to be a powerful tool of analysis in dealing with this subject. The book is organized into three main parts: an ideological and statistical personal introduction to income distribution, microeconomic distribution theory, and macroeconomic distribution theory. A final chapter considers incomes policies, with a rather skeptical view of the prospects for political control of income distribution within a basically free economy. The manuscript has been widely used and class tested over the past thirty-five years. The book will be useful to professional economists. It may be used as a basic text in courses on income distribution and as a supplementary text in microeconomic theory.