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Alchian on Keynes

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  • Edward W. Fuller

Abstract

This paper examines Armen Alchian’s work on Keynes’s marginal efficiency of capital. Alchian is correct to assert that Keynes’s theory of investment based on the marginal efficiency of capital is flawed. However, Alchian does not emphasize the importance of Keynes’s error. This paper extends Alchian’s analysis to show that Keynes’s marginal efficiency of capital is a significant error.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:revaec:v:33:y:2020:i:4:d:10.1007_s11138-019-00471-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s11138-019-00471-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    John Maynard Keynes; Armen Alchian; Marginal efficiency of capital; Net present value;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E12 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Keynes; Keynesian; Post-Keynesian; Modern Monetary Theory
    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • E43 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Interest Rates: Determination, Term Structure, and Effects
    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies

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