Stephen A. Marglin
Encyclopedia
Stephen Alan Marglin is a professor of economics
and holds the Walter S. Barker Chair in the Department of Economics at Harvard University
. Marglin became a tenured professor at Harvard in 1968, one of the youngest in the history of the university. His tenure was largely based on research that attempted to combine a Marxian approach with Keynesian demand theory. Marglin is married to cultural anthropologist Professor Frédérique Apffel-Marglin and the couple has four children.
Marglin writes from a socialist/communitarian point of view. He attempts to undermine basic assumptions of neoclassical orthodoxy, such as rational expectations and the evolutionary process of economic growth.
Marglin wrote the much cited 1974 article What do bosses do? as a critque of neoclassical economics
. This article came at the peak of his argument with Harvard economist David Landes
who wrote a reply, What do bosses really do? The two articles explain the opposing views of socialist and neoclassical analysis.
His current research focuses on the foundational assumptions of economics, concentrating on whether they represent universal human values or merely reflect western culture and history. Marglin has attempted to show that during the Industrial Revolution
, the division of labor was not created to improve the efficiency of the production, but rather to limit the variety of workers' labour in order that the power and indispensability of management increase.
Marglin recently (2008) had another book published on economics called The Dismal Science. In the book, he "dissects the ways in which the foundational assumptions of economics justify a world in which individuals are isolated from one another and social connections are impoverished as people define themselves in terms of how much they can afford to consume."
He is a council member of the World Future Council
.
Economics
Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...
and holds the Walter S. Barker Chair in the Department of Economics at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. Marglin became a tenured professor at Harvard in 1968, one of the youngest in the history of the university. His tenure was largely based on research that attempted to combine a Marxian approach with Keynesian demand theory. Marglin is married to cultural anthropologist Professor Frédérique Apffel-Marglin and the couple has four children.
Marglin writes from a socialist/communitarian point of view. He attempts to undermine basic assumptions of neoclassical orthodoxy, such as rational expectations and the evolutionary process of economic growth.
Marglin wrote the much cited 1974 article What do bosses do? as a critque of neoclassical economics
Neoclassical economics
Neoclassical economics is a term variously used for approaches to economics focusing on the determination of prices, outputs, and income distributions in markets through supply and demand, often mediated through a hypothesized maximization of utility by income-constrained individuals and of profits...
. This article came at the peak of his argument with Harvard economist David Landes
David Landes
David S. Landes is a professor emeritus of economics at Harvard University and retired professor of history at George Washington University. He is the author of Revolution in Time, The Unbound Prometheus, The Wealth and Poverty of Nations, and Dynasties...
who wrote a reply, What do bosses really do? The two articles explain the opposing views of socialist and neoclassical analysis.
His current research focuses on the foundational assumptions of economics, concentrating on whether they represent universal human values or merely reflect western culture and history. Marglin has attempted to show that during the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, the division of labor was not created to improve the efficiency of the production, but rather to limit the variety of workers' labour in order that the power and indispensability of management increase.
Marglin recently (2008) had another book published on economics called The Dismal Science. In the book, he "dissects the ways in which the foundational assumptions of economics justify a world in which individuals are isolated from one another and social connections are impoverished as people define themselves in terms of how much they can afford to consume."
He is a council member of the World Future Council
World Future Council
The World Future Council is an independent body formally founded in Hamburg, Germany on 10 May 2007. "Formed to speak on behalf of policy solutions that serve the interests of future generations", it includes members active in governmental bodies, civil society, business, science and the arts...
.
External links
- Stephen A. Marglin (official website)
- Video (and audio) interview of Stephen A. Marglin by Will WilkinsonWill WilkinsonWill Wilkinson is a Canadian American libertarian writer. Until August 2010, he was a research fellow at the Cato Institute where he worked on a variety of issues including Social Security reform and, most notably, the policy implications of happiness research. He is currently working on a paper...
on Bloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tvBloggingheads.tv is a political, world events, philosophy, and science video blog discussion site in which the participants take part in an active back and forth conversation via webcam which is then broadcast online to viewers... - Councillor at the World Future Council