Brenner on competition

[Charles Brown]

In Lou's vein below , I think
one reason that
Marx did not give early priority in his
order of work in political economy to a
theory of the business cycle, and therefore
we only have fragmentary discussion
from him of the explanation of the business
cycle is that the only solution to the
business cycle is to abolish capitalism.
Marx was focussed on socialist
revolution as a solution to economic
crises, not reforms within capitalism which
is the only thing that a theory of the 
capitalist business cycle is good for.

This doesn't mean that Marx didn't
support reforms, such as the
struggle for the shorterwork week
with no cut in pay, an issue 
addressed in Vol. I of _Capital_.

However, I wish we had a thousand
economists with Doug's "problem".

Charles Brown

  Detroit

Workers of the West , it's our turn.


>>> Louis Proyect writes:

Doug's problem is that he has--without probably understanding it
fully--tried to synthesize Marx and Keynes. From Marx, he appropriates the
analytical tools. Thus, his "Wall Street" is viewed universally as a
magisterial treatment of the world of finance. But his political
understanding owes much to standard Keynsianism with some Marxish
phraseology. It amounts to a defense of welfare state measures, including
pump-priming, to reduce unemployment and build the self-confidence of the
working-class. This has very little to do with Marx, who was only
interested in overthrowing all capitalist states, including "nice" ones
like Sweden or the Netherlands. Of course, what sustains the niceness of
such welfare states is the plunder of the third world, especially its oil,
but I will leave that aside for the time being.

  
etc.

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