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Money, interest, and capital accumulation in Karl Marx's economics: A monetary interpretation

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  • Hein, Eckhard

Abstract

Starting from Schumpeter.s important distinction between .real analysis. and .monetary analysis., in this paper it is shown that major elements of Marx.s economic theory fall in the camp of monetary analysis and the implications for Marx.s theory of capital accumulation are derived. First, Marx.s theory of labour value has to be considered a .monetary theory of value. because .abstract labour. as the social substance of value cannot be measured without a social standard of value. Money as a social representative of value, therefore, is introduced at the very beginning of Marx.s microeconomics. Marx.s rejection of Ricardo.s interpretation of Say.s Law requires that money as a means of circulation and as a means of payment is nonreproducible and therefore cannot be a commodity. Second, in the schemes of reproduction it becomes clear, that the realisation of profits for the capitalist class as a whole requires money advances, which have to increase by means of rising credit in a growing economy. Third, the rate of interest in Marx.s economics is conceived of as a monetary category determined by relative powers of financial and industrial capitalists. Therefore, similar to post-Keynesian theories of distribution and growth, the rate of capital accumulation is determined by the expected rate of profit and the exogenous rate of interest. From this it follows, that any .real theory. of crisis and stagnation, as the falling rate of profit theory of crisis, cannot be sustained within Marx.s monetary analysis.

Suggested Citation

  • Hein, Eckhard, 2002. "Money, interest, and capital accumulation in Karl Marx's economics: A monetary interpretation," WSI Working Papers 102, The Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI), Hans Böckler Foundation.
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:wsidps:102
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    Cited by:

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    2. Riccardo Zolea, 2021. "La relazione tra saggio di profitto e tasso d'interesse e il ruolo della profittabilita' bancaria. (The relation between the profit rate and the interest rate, and the role of bank profitability)," Moneta e Credito, Economia civile, vol. 74(294), pages 97-111.
    3. Lange, Steffen & Pütz, Peter & Kopp, Thomas, 2018. "Do Mature Economies Grow Exponentially?," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 123-133.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Money; interest; capital accumulation; Marx's economics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B14 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought through 1925 - - - Socialist; Marxist
    • B24 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought since 1925 - - - Socialist; Marxist; Scraffian
    • E11 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Marxian; Sraffian; Kaleckian

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