[lbo-talk] Open Letter from a Keynesian to a Marxist by Joan Robinson

michael perelman michael.perelman3 at gmail.com
Sun Jul 17 11:20:38 PDT 2011


I know of one Joan Robinson fan.

Around 1968, after meeting with Chairman Mao, Joan Robinson came to Berkeley, where she gave a catty put down to a Dale Jorgensen, probably the least popular economics faculty member. Disappointed that I missed that session, I contacted her and got to spend an afternoon with her. At the time, I was pretty disgusted with my graduate training and had even considered dropping out. After spending time with Joan Robinson, the thought never entered my mind again.

She was not of Marxist, but she irritated conventional economists no end. She was responsible for putting the Cambridge Controversy on the table and making people like Samuelson and Solow recognize the flimsiness of their theories.

Today, I suspected she would cause even more discomfort among those who deserve the most. She probably has the greatest following among post keynesians, although I don't think that she would identify with them.

-- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University Chico, CA 95929

530 898 5321 fax 530 898 5901 http://michaelperelman.wordpress.com



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list