A systematic comparison of the 3 major economic theories—neoclassical, Keynesian, and Marxian—showing how they differ and why these differences matter in shaping economic theory and practice. Contending Economic Theories offers a unique comparative treatment of the three main theories in economics as it is taught today: neoclassical, Keynesian, and Marxian. Each is developed and discussed in its own chapter, yet also differentiated from and compared to the other two theories. The authors identify each theory's starting point, its goals and foci, and its internal logic. They connect their comparative theory analysis to the larger policy issues that divide the rival camps of theorists around such central issues as the role government should play in the economy and the class structure of production, stressing the different analytical, policy, and social decisions that flow from each theory's conceptualization of economics. Building on their earlier book Economics: Marxian versus Neoclassical, the authors offer an expanded treatment of Keynesian economics and a comprehensive introduction to Marxian economics, including its class analysis of society. Beyond providing a systematic explanation of the logic and structure of standard neoclassical theory, they analyze recent extensions and developments of that theory around such topics as market imperfections, information economics, new theories of equilibrium, and behavioral economics, considering whether these advances represent new paradigms or merely adjustments to the standard theory. They also explain why economic reasoning has varied among these three approaches throughout the twentieth century, and why this variation continues today—as neoclassical views give way to new Keynesian approaches in the wake of the economic collapse of 2008.

Providing a contemporary overview of the debate amongst theoretical stands in economics, this book brings together contributions from a number of eminent scholars. It covers important issues in methodology and the history of thought, as well as economic analysis. The book is structured in five parts which: focus on the relevance of the history of economic ideas for current economic analysis centre on the role of classical theory of value and distribution contrast the equilibrium approach with an out-of-equilibrium perspective offer an evaluation of the legacy of Keynes in the light of the recent development of macroeconomics is dedicated to the issue of how institutions ought to be embedded in current economic theorising. Providing up-to-date, fresh and detailed perspectives on economic theory, this book will prove invaluable for students and academics in the fields of the history of economics, and contemporary economic theory.

PMThe author reviews the alternative analytical approaches that have emerged in development economics and identifies six paradigms: structuralist, expanding capital nucleus, neo-Marxist, Maoist, basic needs, neo-classical and dependency theory. She critically analyzes the main features of each paradigm and identifies the areas where they conflict and support one other. The book presents a coherent analysis of the different approaches to economic development and will be essential reading for economists, political scientists, and sociologists interested in the Third World. Contents: Introduction; The Theoretical Heritage; The Theoretical Debate in Development Economics from the 1940s: An Overview; The Paradigm of the Expanding Nucleus; The Structuralist Paradigm; The Neo-Marxist Paradigm; Dependency Analyses: The Seeds of a New Paradigm?; The Moaist Paradigm; The Basic Needs Paradigm; The Neo-Classical Pradigm and Its Role in Development Economics; Conclusion

This book takes a radically different approach to the analysis of competition by rejecting the perfect vs. imperfect competition dichotomy and draws on the insights of classical political economists such as Marx, Schumpeter, Hayek and Andrews.

Though competition occupies a prominent place in the history of economic thought, among economists today there is still a limited, and sometimes contradictory, understanding of its impact. In Competition and Growth, Philippe Aghion and Rachel Griffith offer the first serious attempt to provide a unified and coherent account of the effect competition policy and deregulated entry has on economic growth. The book takes the form of a dialogue between an applied theorist calling on "Schumpeterian growth" models and a microeconometrician employing new techniques to gauge competition and entry. In each chapter, theoretical models are systematically confronted with empirical data, which either invalidates the models or suggests changes in the modeling strategy. Aghion and Griffith note a fundamental divorce between theorists and empiricists who previously worked on these questions. On one hand, existing models in industrial organization or new growth economics all predict a negative effect of competition on innovation and growth: namely, that competition is bad for growth because it reduces the monopoly rents that reward successful innovators. On the other hand, common wisdom and recent empirical studies point to a positive effect of competition on productivity growth. To reconcile theory and evidence, the authors distinguish between pre- and post-innovation rents, and propose that innovation may be a way to escape competition, an idea that they confront with microeconomic data. The book's detailed analysis should aid scholars and policy makers in understanding how the benefits of tougher competition can be achieved while at the same time mitigating the negative effects competition and imitation may have on some sectors or industries.

Digital platforms controlled by Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, Tencent and Uber have transformed not only the ways we do business, but also the very nature of people's everyday lives. It is of vital importance that we understand the economic principles governing how these platforms operate. This book explains the driving forces behind any platform business with a focus on network effects. The authors use short case studies and real-world applications to explain key concepts such as how platforms manage network effects and which price and non-price strategies they choose. This self-contained text is the first to offer a systematic and formalized account of what platforms are and how they operate, concisely incorporating path-breaking insights in economics over the last twenty years.