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Lucas, Keynes, and the Crisis

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Abstract

This paper examines Robert E. Lucas's views on the relationship of macroeconomics to real world economic phenomena, and on Keynes's place in its history, suggesting that these stem from a particular and debatable understanding of how the subdiscipline has evolved. It considers some implications for today's awkward economic facts of aspects of Keynes' General Theory, not so much its speculations about the role of psychology and social conventions in the economic decisions of individual agents recently highlighted by Akerlof and Shiller (2009) however, as its insights into the influence of the monetary system on the coordination of these decisions, along lines later extended by Clower (1965) and Leijonhufvud (1968). It concludes that the questions about co-ordination that Keynes addressed, not to mention some of his answers, are well worth revisiting.

Suggested Citation

  • David Laidler, 2009. "Lucas, Keynes, and the Crisis," University of Western Ontario, Departmental Research Report Series 20092, University of Western Ontario, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:uwo:uwowop:20092
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    Cited by:

    1. Giancarlo Bertocco, 2011. "Housing bubble and economic theory: is mainstream theory able to explain the crisis?," Economics and Quantitative Methods qf1116, Department of Economics, University of Insubria.
    2. Robert W. Dimand, 2014. "James Tobin and Modern Monetary Theory," Center for the History of Political Economy Working Paper Series 2014-5, Center for the History of Political Economy.
    3. John Foster, 2021. "The US consumption function: a new perspective," Journal of Evolutionary Economics, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 773-798, July.
    4. Mettenheim Kurt, 2013. "Back to Basics in Banking Theory and Varieties of Finance Capitalism," Accounting, Economics, and Law: A Convivium, De Gruyter, vol. 3(3), pages 357-405, May.
    5. Rodolfo Signorino, 2011. "Economics in the Mirror of the Financial Crisis," Chapters, in: Steven Kates (ed.), The Global Financial Crisis, chapter 11, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    6. Stavros A. Drakopoulos, 2021. "The marginalization of absolute and relative income hypotheses of consumption and the role of fiscal policy," The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(6), pages 965-984, November.
    7. Neil Hart, 2011. "Mainstream Macroeconomics: A ‘Keynesian’ Revival?," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 22(1), pages 17-40, May.
    8. William R. White, 2013. "Is Monetary Policy a Science? The Interaction of Theory and Practice over the Last 50 Years," SUERF 50th Anniversary Volume Chapters, in: Morten Balling & Ernest Gnan (ed.), 50 Years of Money and Finance: Lessons and Challenges, chapter 3, pages 73-116, SUERF - The European Money and Finance Forum.
    9. Simon Bilo, 2018. "Lucas and Hume on Monetary Non-neutrality: A Tension between the Logic and the Technique of Economics," Eastern Economic Journal, Palgrave Macmillan;Eastern Economic Association, vol. 44(3), pages 364-380, June.
    10. Edward W. Fuller, 2020. "Alchian on Keynes," The Review of Austrian Economics, Springer;Society for the Development of Austrian Economics, vol. 33(4), pages 503-511, December.
    11. Giancarlo Bertocco, 2011. "Finance and risk: does finance create risk?," Economics and Quantitative Methods qf1115, Department of Economics, University of Insubria.
    12. Heinz D. Kurz, 2011. "Vom Fall und Wiederaufstieg einiger Ideen von Lord Keynes oder: Zum trostlosen Zustand einer "elenden Wissenschaft"," Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft - WuG, Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte für Wien, Abteilung Wirtschaftswissenschaft und Statistik, vol. 37(1), pages 15-36.
    13. Eduardo Strachman & Jos Ricardo Fucidji, 2012. "The Current Financial And Economic Crisis Empirical And Methodological Issues," Journal of Advanced Studies in Finance, ASERS Publishing, vol. 3(1), pages 95-109.
    14. repec:clr:wugarc:y:2011:v:37i:1p:15 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Moutot, Philippe, 2011. "Systemic risk and financial development in a monetary model," Working Paper Series 1352, European Central Bank.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Crisis; Co-ordination; Clearing Markets; Auctioneer; Money; Financial Markets; Animal Spirits; Psychology; Keynes; Lucas;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B22 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - Macroeconomics
    • B31 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought: Individuals - - - Individuals
    • E12 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Keynes; Keynesian; Post-Keynesian; Modern Monetary Theory
    • E13 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Neoclassical
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles

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