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Piero Sraffa’s Use of the History of Economic Thought in the Cambridge Lectures

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  • Attilio Trezzini

    (Università di Roma Tre)

Abstract

Attention to the history of economic thought and its connection with historical and political conditions played a crucial role in the evolution of Sraffa’s theoretical positions. Sraffa insisted on the importance of this methodological approach to the study of economic theory in his first lectures on advanced theory of value, delivered at Cambridge in the late 1920s. He saw the evolution of economic theory as the result of attempts by economists to deal with ‘practical problems’ and affected as such by the ‘disturbing elements’ of ‘opposite interests’ supporting different solutions. This view still deserves attention.

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  • Attilio Trezzini, 2018. "Piero Sraffa’s Use of the History of Economic Thought in the Cambridge Lectures," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 4(1), pages 189-209, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:italej:v:4:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s40797-017-0063-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s40797-017-0063-1
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    Cited by:

    1. Fratini, Saverio M., 2019. "Theories of value and ultimate standards in Sraffa's notes of summer 1927," MPRA Paper 91728, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Trezzini, Attilio, 2019. "Sraffa on Marshall's Theory of Value in the Cambridge Lectures: Achievements in an Unfinished Criticism," Centro Sraffa Working Papers CSWP34, Centro di Ricerche e Documentazione "Piero Sraffa".

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