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Classical Political Economics and Modern Capitalism

Theories of Value, Competition, Trade and Long Cycles

  • Innovatively combines a political economics approach with empirical analysis

  • Offers an alternative approach to important topics such as theory of price and international trade

  • Provides mathematical and empirical evidence to support the views expressed

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xix
  2. Theories of Value and Empirical Evidence

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. The Classical Theory of Value and Distribution

      • Lefteris Tsoulfidis, Persefoni Tsaliki
      Pages 3-39
    3. Circular Flow of Capital and Social Reproduction

      • Lefteris Tsoulfidis, Persefoni Tsaliki
      Pages 41-82
    4. Competition: Classical and Neoclassical

      • Lefteris Tsoulfidis, Persefoni Tsaliki
      Pages 197-245
  3. Competition, Trade and Long Cycles: Theory and Empirical Evidence

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 247-247
    2. Real Competition and Empirical Evidence

      • Lefteris Tsoulfidis, Persefoni Tsaliki
      Pages 249-283
    3. Asymmetries in International Trade

      • Lefteris Tsoulfidis, Persefoni Tsaliki
      Pages 285-334
    4. The Rate of Profit, Economic Growth and Crises

      • Lefteris Tsoulfidis, Persefoni Tsaliki
      Pages 335-379
    5. Productive-Non-productive Labour and National Accounts

      • Lefteris Tsoulfidis, Persefoni Tsaliki
      Pages 381-404
    6. Classical Political Economy and the Evolution of Post-War Capitalism

      • Lefteris Tsoulfidis, Persefoni Tsaliki
      Pages 405-437
  4. Back Matter

    Pages 439-456

About this book

This book promotes an in-depth understanding of the key mechanisms that govern the functioning of capitalist economies, pursuing a Classical Political Economics approach to do so. It explores central theoretical issues addressed by the classical economists Smith and Ricardo, as well as Marx, while also operationalizing more recent theoretical developments inspired by the works of Sraffa and other modern classical economists, using actual data from major economies.

On the basis of this approach, the book subsequently provides alternative explanations for various microeconomic issues such as the determination of equilibrium prices and their movement induced by changes in income distribution; the dynamics of competition of firms within and between industries; the law of tendential equalization of interindustry profit rates; and international exchanges and transfers of value; as well as macroeconomic issues concerning capital accumulation and cyclical economic growth.

Given its scope, the book will benefit all researchers, students, and policymakers seeking new explanations for observed phenomena and interested in the mechanisms that give rise to surface economic categories, such as prices, profits, the unemployment rate, interest rates, and long economic cycles.

Reviews

“The text has been used in lecture courses. … this is a thought-provoking and serious book, to be recommended for students as an introduction to CPE and for all economists interested in the theory of value and accumulation.” (Bertram Schefold, OEconomia, Vol. 11 (2), 2021)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Department of Economics, University of Macedonia, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Lefteris Tsoulfidis

  • Department of Economics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Persefoni Tsaliki

About the authors

Lefteris Tsoulfidis holds a PhD and an M.A. in economics from the New School of Social Research, and a B.A. in Economics from the University of Macedonia. He worked for many years in universities in New York including Hofstra University and College of New Rochelle before joining the Department of Economics of the University of Macedonia in Thessaloniki, where he teaches courses in the History of Economic Thought, Economic History, Political Economy, Mathematical Economics and Macroeconomics. 
He is the author of Competing Schools of Economic Thought and co-author of the Modern Classical Economics and Reality, both published by Springer-Verlag. He is the co-editor of the international journal Bulletin of Political Economy and Director of the Laboratory of the Economic and Social Research of the Department of Economics.
His research has been published in many scientific journals on theoretical and empirical issues related to actual competition, the theory of value and distribution, international economics and economic growth and crises. 


Persefoni Tsaliki is Professor at the School of Economics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (Greece), which she joined in 2003. Previously, she taught in universities in New York including New York University and Yeshiva University and City Liberal Studies (Sheffield University, UK) in Thessaloniki. 


She has a B.A. in Economics from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and an M.A. from the New School for Social Research, New York. She carried her doctoral research at the Department of Economics, New School of Social Research, New York on the Sources of Economic Growth in Greece  which later was published as a book titled  The Greek Economy: Sources of Economic Growth the Postwar Era, Praeger (1991).

She is the Director of the Political Economy Research Group, at the School of Economics of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

Her main research interests and teaching are in the fields of Political Economy, Profitability, Accumulation, International Trade and Growth. She has published as author/co-author several books and articles in major refereed journals in Political Economy.  

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Classical Political Economics and Modern Capitalism

  • Book Subtitle: Theories of Value, Competition, Trade and Long Cycles

  • Authors: Lefteris Tsoulfidis, Persefoni Tsaliki

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17967-0

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Economics and Finance, Economics and Finance (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-17966-3Published: 20 September 2019

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-17969-4Published: 20 September 2020

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-17967-0Published: 05 September 2019

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XIX, 456

  • Number of Illustrations: 99 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Economic Policy, Political Economy/Economic Systems, International Political Economy, Economic Growth, Public Policy

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access