L'économie sur le divan (4/4) : L'économie de la rationalité

Firms are the primary places where economic activity takes place in modern capitalist economies: they are where most stuff is produced; where many of us spend 40 hours a week; and where big decisions are made about how to allocate resources. Establishing how they work is hugely important because it helps us to understand patterns of production and consumption, including how firms will react to changes in economic conditions and policy. And a well-established literature – led by post-Keynesians and institutionalists – holds that the best way to determine how firms work is to…wait for it...ask firms how they work. This a clearly sensible proposition that is contested in economics for some reason, but we’ll ignore the controversy here and just explore the theory that springs from this approach.

The documentary proceeds along the lines of Karl Marx' biography, inquiring into his workings as a journalist, social scientist, revolutionary and historian and his travels through Europe. In chronological order historical events, such as the 1848 revolution or the Paris Commune as well as concepts such as dialectics, the labour theory of value or the reform-revolution debate are revisited. The documentary is narrated by John Kenneth Galbraith and by an actor, who plays Marx and recites quotes from his writings.

Gegenstand der Studie ist eine vergleichende Bestandsaufnahme des aktuellen Profils und der zukünftigen Entwicklungstendenzen in der deutschen und US-amerikanischen Volks- wirtschaftslehre (VWL). Hintergrund ist die Frage nach einem deutschen Sonderweg in der Ökonomie. Hierfür werden die derzeit tätigen VWL-Universitätsprofessor_innen in Deutschland und den USA im Hinblick auf ihre thematische und inhaltliche Ausrichtung sowie auf ihr akademisches und außeruniversitäres Wirkungsspektrum untersucht.

This lecture is based on the “Introducing the Economy” chapter from the Economy Studies book, which introduces the first building block in their framework for transforming the economics education. The aim is to give students a feel and understanding of the economy as part of a bigger whole. Thus, it is aimed to introduce to students before getting into the economics curriculum with theory and models.