Stephen Resnick
Encyclopedia
Stephen A. Resnick is a North American heterodox
economist
. He is well-known for his work (with Richard D. Wolff
) on Marxian economics
, economic methodology
, and class analysis
.
in 1960. He received his Ph.D. in 1964 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
. His dissertation was an econometric analysis
of the European Common Market
. His early work (during his tenure at Yale University
between 1965–1971) was with Stephen Hymer
and focused on issues of economic development and international political economy
.
After a brief period of service at the City College of New York
(1971–1973), Resnick began teaching at the Economics Department of the University of Massachusetts Amherst
in 1973. He began working with Richard D. Wolff in this period and since then together they published numerous articles and books formulating a nondeterminist, class analytical approach. Topics have included Marxian theory and value analysis, overdetermination, radical economics, international trade
, business cycle
s, social formations, the Soviet Union
, and comparing and contrasting Marxian and non-Marxian economic theories.
Resnick's work with Wolff took Louis Althusser
and Étienne Balibar
's Reading Capital
as its point of departure and developed a very subtle reading of Karl Marx
's Capital
Volumes II and III in their influential Knowledge and Class. For Resnick, Marxian class analysis entails the detailed study of the conditions of existences of concrete forms of performance, appropriation, and distribution of surplus labor. While there could be an infinite number of forms of surplus appropriation, the Marxist canon refers to ancient (independent), slave
, feudal
, capitalist
, and communist
class
processes.
In 1989, Resnick joined efforts with a group of colleagues, ex- and then current students to launch Rethinking Marxism
, an academic journal that aims to create a platform for rethinking and developing Marxian concepts and theories within economics as well as other fields of social inquiry. He remained a member of the editorial board of the journal until 1994. Resnick continues to serve as a member of the advisory board of the journal.
Resnick continues to teach graduate seminars and undergraduate courses and direct dissertation research in economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
. He has received multiple teaching awards and has primary teaching interests in economic theory, economic development, and economic history. Resnick lists his primary research interests as Marxian theory and economic history
and development
.
Heterodox economics
"Heterodox economics" refers to approaches or to schools of economic thought that are considered outside of "mainstream economics". Mainstream economists sometimes assert that it has little or no influence on the vast majority of academic economists in the English speaking world. "Mainstream...
economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
. He is well-known for his work (with Richard D. Wolff
Richard D. Wolff
Richard D. Wolff is an American economist, well-known for his work on Marxian economics, economic methodology, and class analysis.- Early and personal life :...
) on Marxian economics
Marxian economics
Marxian economics refers to economic theories on the functioning of capitalism based on the works of Karl Marx. Adherents of Marxian economics, particularly in academia, distinguish it from Marxism as a political ideology and sociological theory, arguing that Marx's approach to understanding the...
, economic methodology
Economic methodology
Economic methodology is the study of methods, especially the scientific method, in relation to economics, including principles underlying economic reasoning...
, and class analysis
Class analysis
Class analysis is research in sociology, politics and economics from the point of view of the stratification of the society into dynamic classes...
.
Biography
Resnick earned a B.S. in economics from the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
in 1960. He received his Ph.D. in 1964 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. His dissertation was an econometric analysis
Econometrics
Econometrics has been defined as "the application of mathematics and statistical methods to economic data" and described as the branch of economics "that aims to give empirical content to economic relations." More precisely, it is "the quantitative analysis of actual economic phenomena based on...
of the European Common Market
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) The European Economic Community (EEC) (also known as the Common Market in the English-speaking world, renamed the European Community (EC) in 1993The information in this article primarily covers the EEC's time as an independent...
. His early work (during his tenure at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
between 1965–1971) was with Stephen Hymer
Stephen Hymer
Stephen Herbert Hymer , Canadian economist, was born in Montreal, and died after a car accident in Shandaken, New York...
and focused on issues of economic development and international political economy
International political economy
International political economy , also known as global political economy, is an academic discipline within the social sciences that analyzes international relations in combination with political economy. As an interdisciplinary field it draws on many distinct academic schools, most notably ...
.
After a brief period of service at the City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
(1971–1973), Resnick began teaching at the Economics Department of the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
in 1973. He began working with Richard D. Wolff in this period and since then together they published numerous articles and books formulating a nondeterminist, class analytical approach. Topics have included Marxian theory and value analysis, overdetermination, radical economics, international trade
International trade
International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories. In most countries, such trade represents a significant share of gross domestic product...
, business cycle
Business cycle
The term business cycle refers to economy-wide fluctuations in production or economic activity over several months or years...
s, social formations, the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, and comparing and contrasting Marxian and non-Marxian economic theories.
Resnick's work with Wolff took Louis Althusser
Louis Althusser
Louis Pierre Althusser was a French Marxist philosopher. He was born in Algeria and studied at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris, where he eventually became Professor of Philosophy....
and Étienne Balibar
Étienne Balibar
Étienne Balibar is a French Marxist philosopher. After the death of his teacher Louis Althusser, Balibar quickly became the leading exponent of French Marxist philosophy.- Life and work :...
's Reading Capital
Reading Capital
Reading Capital is a 1965 work of Marxist philosophy and theory. The book collects essays developed by Louis Althusser and his students in a seminar on Karl Marx's Das Kapital which took place earlier in 1965...
as its point of departure and developed a very subtle reading of Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
's Capital
Das Kapital
Das Kapital, Kritik der politischen Ökonomie , by Karl Marx, is a critical analysis of capitalism as political economy, meant to reveal the economic laws of the capitalist mode of production, and how it was the precursor of the socialist mode of production.- Themes :In Capital: Critique of...
Volumes II and III in their influential Knowledge and Class. For Resnick, Marxian class analysis entails the detailed study of the conditions of existences of concrete forms of performance, appropriation, and distribution of surplus labor. While there could be an infinite number of forms of surplus appropriation, the Marxist canon refers to ancient (independent), slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
, feudal
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
, capitalist
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
, and communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
class
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
processes.
In 1989, Resnick joined efforts with a group of colleagues, ex- and then current students to launch Rethinking Marxism
Rethinking Marxism
Rethinking Marxism is a Marxist quarterly journal of economics, culture and society. It was launched in 1988 and since 2003 it has been published by Taylor and Francis....
, an academic journal that aims to create a platform for rethinking and developing Marxian concepts and theories within economics as well as other fields of social inquiry. He remained a member of the editorial board of the journal until 1994. Resnick continues to serve as a member of the advisory board of the journal.
Resnick continues to teach graduate seminars and undergraduate courses and direct dissertation research in economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
. He has received multiple teaching awards and has primary teaching interests in economic theory, economic development, and economic history. Resnick lists his primary research interests as Marxian theory and economic history
Economic history
Economic history is the study of economies or economic phenomena in the past. Analysis in economic history is undertaken using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and by applying economic theory to historical situations and institutions...
and development
Economic development
Economic development generally refers to the sustained, concerted actions of policymakers and communities that promote the standard of living and economic health of a specific area...
.
See also
- Paul HirstPaul HirstPaul Hirst was a British sociologist and political theorist. He became Professor of Social Theory at Birkbeck, University of London....
- Barry HindessBarry HindessBarry Hindess is an Emeritus Professor in the School of Social Sciences at Australian National University. He was for many years an academic sociologist in the UK and has published widely on social and political theory, and on the history of political thought.- Selected works :* Discourses of...
- J. K. Gibson-GrahamJ. K. Gibson-GrahamJ.K. Gibson-Graham is a pen name shared by feminist economic geographers Julie Graham and Katherine Gibson. Their first book The End of Capitalism was published in 1996, followed by A Postcapitalist Politics in 2006...
- Jack Amariglio
- David Ruccio
- Stephen Cullenberg
- Antonio Callari