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La fin de l’Histoire (économique)

Author

Listed:
  • Jean-Paul Fitoussi

    (Département d'économie (ECON))

Abstract

Certains articles, pour des raisons qui demeurent en partie obscures, laissent une trace durable dans l’histoire intellectuelle. C’est le cas de celui de John Maynard Keynes, « Perspectives économiques pour nos petits-enfants ». Une explication possible de ce succès est la justesse des prédictions quantitatives de Keynes, à un siècle de distance, quant au niveau de vie des habitants des pays développés. Une autre réside dans la nature-même des questions qu’il pose : le fonctionnement du système capitaliste pourrait-il aboutir à la résolution du problème économique et, partant, conduire à la fin du capitalisme lui-même ? À quoi pourrait ressembler la vie des gens dans un monde où le problème économique aurait disparu ? Les réponses apportées par Keynes à ces questions peuvent être diversement appréciées. Si nous sommes effectivement aujourd’hui huit fois plus riches qu’il y a un siècle — comme son arithmétique des intérêts composés le prévoyait — la résolution du problème économique est toujours devant nous. C’est que Keynes annonçait que la fin de l’histoire économique adviendrait lorsque les besoins « absolus » de l’homme seraient satisfaits. C’est une analyse naïve des besoins humains fondée sur une interprétation erronée des travaux de Freud qui le conduisit à une telle conclusion (la névrose du capitalisme). De même, c’est une espèce de communisme des élites qu’il préconise comme mode de vie une fois l’humanité débarrassée de l’urgence économique. Ce qui est remarquable dans « Les perspectives économiques », c’est la puissance de l’intuition de Keynes, et ce qui l’est encore plus, c’est la nature des questions qu’il pose. Tous les économistes devraient s’efforcer de répondre à la question des finalités du système économique et de sa fin possible. Sans doute porteraient-ils alors sur leur discipline un regard différent. Ce qui est décevant, c’est la naïveté avec laquelle Keynes traite des besoins humains et ce qui l’est davantage encore, c’est son arrogance et la morale pour le moins discutable qui l’accompagne.

Suggested Citation

  • Jean-Paul Fitoussi, 2007. "La fin de l’Histoire (économique)," Sciences Po publications info:hdl:2441/4004, Sciences Po.
    • Handle: RePEc:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/4004
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Edmund S. Phelps, 2008. "Macroeconomics for a Modern Economy," The American Economist, Sage Publications, vol. 52(1), pages 3-22, March.
    2. Robert E. Lucas Jr., 2003. "Macroeconomic Priorities," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(1), pages 1-14, March.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Croissance à long terme; Besoins humains; Capitalisme; Systèmes économiques; Inégalités;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • A13 - General Economics and Teaching - - General Economics - - - Relation of Economics to Social Values
    • D11 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Theory
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • E12 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Keynes; Keynesian; Post-Keynesian; Modern Monetary Theory
    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • P17 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Capitalist Economies - - - Performance and Prospects

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