tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245381193993153721.post6767230577460153389..comments2024-03-17T00:23:24.896-07:00Comments on Social Democracy for the 21st Century: A Realist Alternative to the Modern Left: Is a Shrinking Labour Force such a Problem?Lord Keyneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06556863604205200159noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245381193993153721.post-5356862544296368822016-02-05T07:55:15.275-08:002016-02-05T07:55:15.275-08:00My 2 cents : the optimistic "back to equilibr...My 2 cents : the optimistic "back to equilibrium" scenario only stands if you assume that (1) there are plenty of needs that new activities could satisfy (2) people with the power to do so (be they government or private sector top executives) will be interested or compelled to have those needs satisfied.<br />This was not allways the case during the last century (think only of the high unemployment in 1920' Britain) and I don't see how it might the case in any foreseeable futur. For example we might decide to retrain large part of the workforce so as to have many more healthcare / education / art professionnals (which was the kind of economic futur LK expected)... well, I don't think it to be on our rulers' neoliberal agenda, is it?<br /><br />The real unknown (to me) is what about the energy depletion ? how is an even more automatised economy to function with less and less oil, uranium, etc. ?<br />Is that a topic of interest to some postkeynesian researcher you know of LK ?GLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04372485857847843352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245381193993153721.post-20552960990389945702016-01-23T21:06:59.441-08:002016-01-23T21:06:59.441-08:00(1) at the moment unemployment is the major trend ...(1) at the moment unemployment is the major trend to watch, not productivity<br /><br />(2) natural rate = fantasy world idiocy.Lord Keyneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06556863604205200159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245381193993153721.post-89721852796823469252016-01-23T15:39:44.553-08:002016-01-23T15:39:44.553-08:00"That is, in light of the massive revolutiona..."That is, in light of the massive revolutionary effects of automation and robotics that is happening as we speak, as we can see here, here and here."<br /><br />-Not seeing any substantial evidence of it. Productivity is stagnating, not soaring. It's even worse in the U.K.<br /><br />"And don’t trust halfwit neoclassical economists to provide sensible analysis here, because their response is almost always that only if you make wages become flexible and rely on laissez faire market theology, then this will eliminate involuntary unemployment."<br /><br />-Well, considering the natural rate of unemployment isn't too different now from what it was in the late 19th century, it looks like those much-maligned neoclassical economists have been right all along.pithomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13997094225496018110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245381193993153721.post-29163240779602071342016-01-23T09:39:38.404-08:002016-01-23T09:39:38.404-08:00I prefer economic/political discussion in the comm...I prefer economic/political discussion in the comments section, really. <br /><br />Leave a comment (which I won't publish) if you want to ask me some issue in private.Lord Keyneshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06556863604205200159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6245381193993153721.post-4797408223210280842016-01-23T09:17:24.372-08:002016-01-23T09:17:24.372-08:00Lord Keynes, is there a way I can get in touch wit...Lord Keynes, is there a way I can get in touch with you? Like an email or something?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com