IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eme/ijsepp/v38y2011i6p537-556.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sumner Slichter and Emil Lederer on technological unemployment

Author

Listed:
  • Ioannis Katselidis
  • Angelos Vouldis
  • Panayotis G. Michaelides

Abstract

Purpose - This paper aims to analyze Emil Lederer's and Sumner Slichter's theses on the concept of technological unemployment. Design/methodology/approach - Given the presence of core elements of both economists' visions in the famous Debate on Technological Unemployment (1928‐1933), it is surprising that so little attention has been paid to their works. This paper makes an attempt to interpret certain parts of Emil Lederer'soeuvrein association with the writings of Sumner Slichter based on a careful examination of their writings and their theoretical investigations. Findings - The writings of both economists seem to converge to similar views. Analytically, they both attempted to explain the inability of the economic system to readjust and absorb the unemployed workers. Moreover, both economists disputed the assertion of Say's law that full equilibrium would be assured by the functioning of market forces. In contrast to other economists, they both attached increased significance to the supply side of the economy and in particular to the role of technical change. Furthermore, it seems that both authors were in favor of restrained technological change, which would be absorbed smoothly from the economic system. Another interesting aspect of both economists' investigations is their respective theoretical shift around 1930, which could be attributed to the disastrous consequences of the Great Depression. The paper concludes that, despite some differences between Lederer and Slichter, the parallels are impressive. Originality/value - Most aspects of Slichter and Lederer's works remain unexplored. Thus, the connection between them may be very useful for promoting dialogue between different schools or strands of thought.

Suggested Citation

  • Ioannis Katselidis & Angelos Vouldis & Panayotis G. Michaelides, 2011. "Sumner Slichter and Emil Lederer on technological unemployment," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 38(6), pages 537-556, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:eme:ijsepp:v:38:y:2011:i:6:p:537-556
    DOI: 10.1108/03068291111131391
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/03068291111131391/full/html?utm_source=repec&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=repec
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers

    File URL: https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/03068291111131391/full/pdf?utm_source=repec&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=repec
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1108/03068291111131391?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Panayotis G. Michaelides & John G. Milios & Angelos Vouldis & Spyros Lapatsioras, 2010. "Heterodox influences on Schumpeter," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 37(3), pages 197-213, February.
    2. Allgoewer, Elisabeth, 2003. "Emil Lederer: Business Cycles, Crises, and Growth," Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Cambridge University Press, vol. 25(3), pages 327-348, September.
    3. Claude Diebolt, 2006. "Progrès technique et cycles économiques dans la pensée allemande de l’entre-deux-guerres : l’apport d’Emil Lederer," Working Papers 06-09, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC).
    4. John Toye, 2006. "Hans Singer's debts to Schumpeter and Keynes," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 30(6), pages 819-833, November.
    5. Panayotis Michaelides & John Milios & Angelos Vouldis & Spyros Lapatsioras, 2010. "Emil Lederer and Joseph Schumpeter on Economic Growth, Technology and Business Cycles," Forum for Social Economics, Springer;The Association for Social Economics, vol. 39(2), pages 171-189, July.
    6. Claude Diebolt & Michael Haupert, 2018. "Cliometrics," Working Papers of BETA 2018-01, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    7. Yuichi Shionoya, 2005. "The Soul of the German Historical School," The European Heritage in Economics and the Social Sciences, Springer, number 978-0-387-23085-6, December.
    8. Panayotis G. Michaelides & John G. Milios, 2009. "Joseph Schumpeter and the German Historical School," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 33(3), pages 495-516, May.
    9. Robert Leeson, 1997. "Influence (or The Lack of It) in the Economics Profession: The Case of Lucien Albert Hahn," History of Political Economy, Duke University Press, vol. 29(4), pages 635-638, Winter.
    10. Erik Reinert, 2002. "Schumpeter In The Context Of Two Canons Of Economic Thought," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(1-2), pages 23-39.
    11. John Milios & Dimitris P. Sotiropoulos, 2009. "Capitalist Mode of Production and Monopolies," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Rethinking Imperialism, chapter 6, pages 112-120, Palgrave Macmillan.
    12. Gregory R. Woirol, 2006. "New Data, New Issues: The Origins of the Technological Unemployment Debates," History of Political Economy, Duke University Press, vol. 38(3), pages 473-496, Fall.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Katselidis, Ioannis & Vouldis, Angelos & Michaelides, Panayotis G., 2010. "Sumner Slichter and Emil Lederer: Central Visions Compared," MPRA Paper 74481, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Michaelides, Panayotis G. & Theologou, Kostas, 2009. "Joseph Schumpeter and Gabriel Tarde on Technological Change and Social Evolution," MPRA Paper 67189, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Panayotis G. Michaelides & John G. Milios & Angelos Vouldis & Spyros Lapatsioras, 2010. "Heterodox influences on Schumpeter," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 37(3), pages 197-213, February.
    4. Panayotis Michaelides & John Milios & Angelos Vouldis & Spyros Lapatsioras, 2010. "Emil Lederer and Joseph Schumpeter on Economic Growth, Technology and Business Cycles," Forum for Social Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(2), pages 171-189, January.
    5. Michaelides, Panayotis G. & Milios, John G. & Vouldis, Angelos, 2007. "Schumpeter and Lederer on Growth, Technology, Credit and Business Cycles," MPRA Paper 74486, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    6. Angelos T. Vouldis & Panayotis G. Michaelides & John G. Milios, 2012. "Emil Lederer’s Theory of Economic Fluctuations and the Role of Financial Institutions," Forum for Social Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 41(1), pages 30-45, April.
    7. Panayotis G. Michaelides & Kostas Theologou, 2010. "Tarde's influence on Schumpeter: technology and social evolution," International Journal of Social Economics, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 37(5), pages 361-373, April.
    8. Angelos Vouldis & Panayotis Michaelides & John Milios, 2011. "Emil Lederer and the Schumpeter-Hilferding-Tugan-Baranowsky Nexus," Review of Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(3), pages 439-460.
    9. Ferlito, Carmelo, 2015. "Entrepreneurship: State of grace or human action?," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 27(1-2), pages 11-36.
    10. Claude Diebolt, 2015. "Comment appréhender les temporalités de l’histoire économique ? Plaidoyer pour une cliométrie des événements rares," Working Papers of BETA 2015-12, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    11. Panayotis Michaelides & John Milios, 2015. "The Schumpeter–Hilferding Nexus," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 133-145, January.
    12. Javier Mejía, 2015. "The Evolution of Economic History since 1950: From Cliometrics to Cliodynamics (La evolución de la historia económica desde 1950: de cliometría hasta cliodinámica)," Tiempo y Economía, Universidad de Bogotá Jorge Tadeo Lozano, vol. 2(2), pages 79, December.
    13. Dieter Bögenhold, 2018. "Schumpeter’s Split Between “Pure” Economics and Institutional Economics: Why Methodological Individualism Was Not Fully Considered," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 24(3), pages 253-264, August.
    14. Ferlito, Carmelo, 2015. "Entrepreneurship: State of grace or human action? Schumpeter’s leadership vs Kirzner’s alertness," MPRA Paper 67694, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Helge Peukert, 2015. "Richard Abel Musgrave and Joseph Alois Schumpeter: Two intellectual authorities in economics and their shared and different frameworks, read through the lenses of the Perlman dichotomies," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 253-262, January.
    16. Claude DIEBOLT & Jamel TRABELSI, 2009. "Human Capital and French Macroeconomic Growth in the Long Run," Economies et Sociétés (Serie 'Histoire Economique Quantitative'), Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC), issue 40, pages 901-917, May.
    17. Harald Hagemann, 2015. "Capitalist development, innovations, business cycles and unemployment: Joseph Alois Schumpeter and Emil Hans Lederer," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 117-131, January.
    18. Chatelain, Jean-Bernard & Ralf, Kirsten, 2018. "Publish and Perish: Creative Destruction and Macroeconomic Theory," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 46(2), pages 65-101.
    19. Michelangelo Vasta & Carlo Drago & Roberto Ricciuti & Alberto Rinaldi, 2017. "Reassessing the bank–industry relationship in Italy, 1913–1936: a counterfactual analysis," Cliometrica, Springer;Cliometric Society (Association Francaise de Cliométrie), vol. 11(2), pages 183-216, May.
    20. Alexandre Roy, 2014. "La maturation d'une discipline scientifique dans le Japon de l'ère de Taishô : l'histoire économique du Japon selon Takekoshi Yosaburô (1920)," Post-Print halshs-03617745, HAL.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Unemployment; Economic theory;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eme:ijsepp:v:38:y:2011:i:6:p:537-556. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Emerald Support (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.