[lbo-talk] Michael Roberts on past and future growth

Carrol Cox cbcox at ilstu.edu
Sun Sep 11 11:13:06 PDT 2016


Marv G: "Keynesians (and other Marxists) could argue, however, that China doesn't have a different economic model - that the country's leadership has, in fact, restored capitalism, but one based on a strong state sector which has been responsible for China's robust growth. The developed capitalist economies, on the other hand, have repudiated state ownership and intervention in the economy which largely explains their continuing stagnation."

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I'm not sure I follow this (even after reading the whole of the Roberts blog). I assume the words quoted above are by Marv himself. Am I correct in construing them as asserting that capitalism with strong state intervention _can_ perform the miracles that DeLong & Keynes claim?

Also, I do tend to get confused when Marxists (or those speaking for Marxists) ignore Postone's claim that Marx offers a "Critique of Political Economy, " NOT a "Critical Political Economy." That is, if I'm following this at all, Keynes (1931), Roberts, and Marv all seem to be assuming that empirical analysis of the "economy," combined with assumptions about the exercise (or non-exercise) of state power can provide predictions of future economic trends. It seems to me, however, that Marx would deny that there can be an empirical 'science' of capitalist economies (and/or capitalist societies). History can only be written backwards.

Carrol

-----Original Message----- From: lbo-talk-bounces at lbo-talk.org [mailto:lbo-talk-

bounces at lbo-talk.org] On Behalf Of Marv Gandall Sent: Sunday, September 11, 2016 11:05 AM To: Pen-L Economics; Socialist Project; LBO Subject: [lbo-talk] Michael Roberts on past and future growth

British Marxist economist Michael Roberts’ latest: On why Brad

DeLong and other Keynesians are wrong in confidently asserting -

as their mentor did in 1931 - that capitalism will inevitably recover

from crisis and provide ever higher living standards for the greater

mass of the population.

The much touted reduction in global poverty before the current

downturn is not evidence of capitalism’s inherent dynamism,

Roberts notes; it’s mainly the result of China’s explosive growth,

based on a different economic model.

Keynesians (and other Marxists) could argue, however, that China

doesn’t have a different economic model - that the country’s

leadership has, in fact, restored capitalism, but one based on a

strong state sector which has been responsible for China’s robust

growth. The developed capitalist economies, on the other hand,

have repudiated state ownership and intervention in the economy

which largely explains their continuing stagnation.

https://thenextrecession.wordpress.com/2016/09/11/the-end-

of-globalisation-and-the-future-of-capitalism/ ___________________________________ http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk



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