reform and rev

["Charles Brown" <CharlesB@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Rakesh:
the discussion here is not of social democratic economics but the
root causes of capitalist crises and whether Keynesian demand
management can solve the underlying problems with the capitalist
system.

^^^^^^^

CB: So, who on this list or thread has claimed that "Keynesian demand management can solve the underlying problems with the capitalist system " ? Perhaps it was the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz who said it .

Do you have a reform program, Rakesh , or is it revolution or nothing for you ?


^^^^^^^
Rakesh:
no, it is not. some crises can arise from a disproportionality
between Depts I and II that can be overcome fairly painlessly by a
redistribution of capital and value--the whole accumulation process
is always shot through with one kind of disproportionality or
another; other crises--usually general and protracted ones--
originate from insufficient surplus value in the process of
production that require much more painful organizational changes in
the abode of production, viz. a devaluation of constant capital and a
rise in the rate of surplus value.

^^^^^^^^

CB: Are you advocating that in general and protracted crises,  Marxists support painful organizational changes in the abode of production, namely, those measures that will cause a devaluation of constant capital and a rise in the rate of surplus value ? Or are you saying that the capitalists will just take these steps to accomplish this anyway ?  What is the practical, programmatic , activist significance of your theory of how to obtain temporary relief from general and protracted crises ?

^^^^^^^

CB: Are you including Victor Perlo and P.I. Nikitin among orthodox
>marxists ? You aren't claiming that they and other orthodox Marxists
>claim that Keynesian measures will end the business cycle , are you ?

Rakesh:
I am not including nor excluding Perlo, though my sense is that along
side his often tremendoulsy helfpul presentations of data (including
on the continuing problems of racism) he was commited to an
underconsumption theory which makes it difficult to see why and how
Keynesian demand management cannot succeed in the long run. Which is
not to say that he believed that it would not fail. But I don't have
Superprofits and Crises with me. So do elaborate on Perlo's
contributions.

^^^^^^^

CB: Maybe I'll bring here later more fully Perlo and Nikitin's, et al.'s, looks at the capitalist business cycle causes. I can say now that the general approach is based on the contradictions in the anarchy of capitalist production, and that Perlo emphatically holds that capitalism cannot be reformed or it business cycle eradicated by Keynesian policies.

What is your reasoning that an underconsumptionist theory of business cycle makes it difficult to see how Keynesian demand management cannot succeed in the long run ?  What specifically in underconsumptionist theory implies capitalism can be permenantly reformed, and  business cycle crises ended forever ? Did even Keynes claim that ?