Some Cambridge Controversies in the Theory of Capital
Fiftieth Anniversary Edition

The fiftieth anniversary edition of one of the classic texts to have emerged from the Cambridge Capital Controversy.

G. C. Harcourt (Author), Avi J. Cohen (Contributions by), Tiago Mata (Contributions by)

9781009158152, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 2 June 2022

350 pages
23.5 x 15.7 x 2.5 cm, 0.644 kg

'The 50th anniversary edition of Harcourt's classic text remains unchanged and as relevant as ever, but it comes with a new preface and two new afterwords, illuminating the contributions of this book and its author to the field of economics … Recommended.' R. H. Scott III, Choice

The Cambridge Capital Controversy was one of the most significant debates in Twentieth Century economics. First published in 1972, this book provides an accessible reconstruction of the controversy with detailed discussion of the major points raised by its primary protagonists: Piero Sraffa and Joan Robinson on the post-Keynesian side (Cambridge, UK) and Robert Solow and Paul Samuelson on the neo-classical side (Cambridge, MA). The book is now considered to be a classic. This fiftieth anniversary edition comes with a new preface by the author and two new afterwords that reflect on the author's contribution to the field and the significance of the book in the history of economics. Topics covered include the measurement of capital, the revival of interest in Irving Fisher's rate of return on investment, the double-switching debate, Sraffa's prelude to a critique of neoclassical theory, and the 'new' theories of the rate of profits in capitalist society.

Introduction
1. Search for a will-o'-the-wisp: capital as a unit independent of distribution and prices
2. Treacle, fossils and technical progress
3. Solow on the rate of return: tease and counter-tease Preliminaries to the main bout
4. A child's guide to the double-switching debate
5. The rate of profits in capitalist society: whose finest hour? Introduction to the Afterwords
Afterword 1: Some notes on the life of a book Tiago Mata
Afterword 2: Who is (your) Geoff Harcourt? Avi Cohen.

Subject Areas: Development economics & emerging economies [KCM], Economic growth [KCG], Economic theory & philosophy [KCA]