John E Roemer
Datos Biográficos
| ID | 265198 |
|---|---|
| NOMBRE | John E Roemer |
| NOMBRES | John E |
| APELLIDO | Roemer |
| FIRMA | ROEMER J E |
| AFILIACIONES | Yale University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-9049-5083 |
| VERIFICADO | Sí |
| TOTAL DE OBRAS | 88 |
| TOTAL DE CITAS | 194 |
| TOTAL COMO AUTOR | 87 |
| TOTAL COMO EDITOR | 1 |
| PRIMER AÑO DE PUBLICACIÓN | 1977 |
| AÑO MÁS RECIENTE DE PUBLICACIÓN | 2022 |
| ÍNDICE H | 7 |
Cooperation and market socialism
The idea that socialism depends upon cooperation, as capitalism depends on competition, has always been inherent in the conception of socialism. Yet precise models of market socialism – ones, that is, that are sufficiently articulated so as to be able to discuss and compute an equilibrium in the economy – do not model cooperation in production, or more generally, in economic behavior. We introduce a Kantian optimization protocol, which, in contra…
A theory of cooperation in games with an application to market socialism
Economic theory has focused almost exclusively on how humans compete with each other in their economic activity, culminating in general equilibrium (Walras–Arrow–Debreu) and game theory (Cournot–Nash). Cooperation in economic activity is, however, important, and is virtually ignored. Because our models influence our view of the world, this theoretical lacuna biases economists’ interpretation of economic behavior. Here, I propose models that provi…
The dynamics of capital accumulation in the US
Dynamic Equality of Opportunity
What are the long‐term effects of policies intended to equalize opportunities among different social classes of children? To find out, we study the stationary states of an intergenerational model where adults are either White or Blue collar employees. Both adults and the state invest in their children's education. Our analysis indicates that the major obstacle to equalizing opportunities in the long run is private educational investment. Next we …
Socialism Revised
On the Importance of Circumstances in Explaining Income Inequality
Quand on décompose la distribution des revenus dans une population en un certain nombre de distributions de revenus par classes d’individus au sein de cette population, il est souvent intéressant de se demander quelle part des inégalités totales au sein de la population totale est due aux inégalités entre classes, et quelle part est due aux inégalités au sein des différentes classes. Certaines mesures des inégalités permettent d’apporter une répo…
Equality of Opportunity
During the last third of the twentieth century, political philosophers actively debated about the content of distributive justice; the ruling ethical view of utilitarianism was challenged by various versions of equality of opportunities. Economists formulated several ways of modeling these ideas, focusing upon how individuals are placed with respect to opportunities for achieving various outcomes, and what compensation is due to individuals with …
Equality of Opportunity
Sustainability for a Warming Planet
Human-generated greenhouse gas emissions imperil a global resource: a biosphere capable of supporting life as we know it. What is the fair way to share this scarce resource across present and future generations and across regions of the world? This study offers a new perspective based on the guiding ethics of sustainability and egalitarianism
Thoughts on G. A. Cohen’s Final Testament
I present briefly G. A. Cohen’s theory of distributive justice, discuss the relationship that I think he believed held between human nature and justice, and offer thoughts on the feasibility of Cohenesque justice, or Cohenesque socialism. I introduce the idea of Kantian equilibrium, as a way of explaining how people cooperate. Expanding the domain of activities in which humans cooperate will, I believe, go a long way towards achieving Cohenesque …
On the problem of socialist economic design
Economic Development as Opportunity Equalization
Economic development should be conceived of as the degree to which an economy has implemented an efficient and just distribution of economic resources. The ubiquitous measure of GDP per capita reflects a utilitarian conception of justice, where individual utility is defined as personal income, and social welfare is the average of utilities in a population. A more attractive conception of justice is opportunity-equalization. Here, a two-dimensiona…
Value, Exploitation and Class
John E. Roemer, one of the founders of analytical Marxism, draws on contemporary mathematical economics to put forward a refined extension of the Marxian theory of exploitation, labour value and class
Thoughts on Arrangements of Property Rights in Productive Assets
State ownership, worker ownership, and household ownership are the three main forms in which productive assets (firms) can be held. I argue that worker ownership is not wise in economies with high capital-labor ratios, for it forces the worker to concentrate all her assets in one firm. I review the coupon economy that I proposed in 1994, and express reservations that it could work: greedy people would be able to circumvent its purpose of preventi…
On Several Approaches to Equality of Opportunity
The formal theory of equality of opportunity emerged as a response – a friendly amendment – to Ronald Dworkin's (1981) characterization of resource egalitarianism, as defined by the allocation that would emerge from insurance contracts arrived at behind a thin veil of ignorance. This article compares several of the prominent versions of this response, put forth in the period 1993–2008. I argue that a generalization of Roemer's (1998) proposal is …
Prospects for Achieving Equality in Market Economies
This article considers the possibility of attaining equality in principle. It begins by proposing the degree of equality that we can expect or hope to achieve in the foreseeable future. It defines the two grand strategies for achieving equality in the last century: socialism and social democracy. Markets are necessary in any complex society, and they perform both a coordination function and an incentive function. It is argued that an understandin…
Equality
Marc Fleurbaey, Fairness, responsibility, and welfare
Political Representation
Political representation lies at the core of modern politics. Democracies, with their vast numbers of citizens, could not operate without representative institutions. Yet relations between the democratic ideal and the everyday practice of political representation have never been well defined and remain the subject of vigorous debate among historians, political theorists, lawyers, and citizens. In this volume, an eminent group of scholars move for…
Jerry Cohen’s Why Not Socialism? Some Thoughts
Modeling Party Competition in General Elections
This article provides a report on the attempts to reproduce political equilibrium among parties and its applications. It examines a review of the two main theories of political competition, and notes the problems that are involved in generalizing these theories to the multidimensional context. It also proposes a resolution to these problems, specifically a theory of multidimensional political competition. The article ends with a discussion of som…
Equality of Opportunity
The Veil of Ignorance Violates Priority
The veil of ignorance has been used often as a tool for recommending what justice requires with respect to the distribution of wealth. We complete Harsanyi's model of the veil of ignorance by appending information permitting objective comparisons among persons. In order to do so, we introduce the concept of objective empathy. We show that the veil-of-ignorance conception of John Harsanyi, so completed, and Ronald Dworkin's, when modelled formally…
Intergenerational Equity and Sustainability
Chapter Three. How Demanding Should Equality of Opportunity Be, and How Much Have We Achieved?
Free to Lose
Roemer challenges the morality of an economic system based on private ownership of the means of production. Unless you start with a certain amount of wealth in such a society, you are only "free to lose." This book addresses crucial questions of political philosophy and normative economics
The Strategic Role of Party Ideology When Voters Are Uncertain about How the Economy Works
A continuum of voters, indexed by income, have preferences over economic outcomes. Two political parties each represent the interests of given constituencies of voters: the rich and the poor. Parties/candidates put forth policies-for instance, tax policy, where taxes finance a public good. Voters are uncertain about the theory of the economy, the function that maps policies into economic outcomes. Parties argue, as well, for theories of the econo…
A General Theory of Exploitation and Class
Journal Article A General Theory of Exploitation and Class Get access A General Theory of Exploitation and Class. By John E. ROEMER. (London: Harvard University Press, 1982, Pp. 298. £19.25.) David Evans David Evans Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Economic Journal, Volume 93, Issue 372, 1 December 1983, Pages 939–941, https://doi.org/10.2307/223277…
New Directions in the Marxian Theory of Exploitation and Class
Socialism Revised
Exploitation, Alternatives and Socialism
Journal Article Exploitation, Alternatives and Socialism Get access John E. Roemer John E. Roemer University of California, Davis Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Economic Journal, Volume 92, Issue 365, 1 March 1982, Pages 87–107, https://doi.org/10.2307/2232258 Published: 01 March 1982
An equal-opportunity approach to the allocation of international aid
Market Socialism
In this paper, we will outline a feasible economic mechanism of "competitive socialism." Our claim is that competitive markets are necessary to achieve an efficient and vigorous economy, but that full-scale private ownership is not necessary for the successful operation of competition and markets. Contrary to popular impression, this claim has not yet been disproved by either history or economic theory. It is the failure of both the political rig…
Marxism and Contemporary Social Science
Because Marxism was invented over one hundred years ago and both it and social science generally have changed a great deal since then, it becomes increasingly difficult to decide which kinds of work are Marxist in orientation and which are not. Indeed, were this not the case, it would be a bad sign for Marxism. For could one clearly delineate Marxist thought from the rest of social science, it would indicate that those who have been influenced by…
Can there be Socialism after Communism
Interpersonal Comparisons of Well-Being
Journal Article Interpersonal Comparisons of Well-Being Get access Interpersonal Comparisons of Weil-Being. Edited by Elster (Jon) and (JOHN E.) Roemer. (Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, 1991. Pp. viii + 400. £35.00 hardback, US $49.50 hardback. ISBN 0 521 39274 8.) Robert Sugden Robert Sugden University of East Anglia Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Economic Journal, Volume 102, Iss…
Jerry Cohen’s Why Not Socialism? Some Thoughts
The Rise and Fall of Unionised Labour Markets
Studying a model where trade unions interact with endogenously formed partisan political parties, we explain changing political preferences for and against the unionised labour market regime. We focus on the changes in coalition formation between unskilled and moderately skilled workers, which in turn depend on inequality among workers. When inequality is either very low or very high, moderately skilled workers form a political coalition with uns…
Eclectic distributional ethics
Utilitarians, maximinners, prioritarians, and sufficientarians each provide examples of situations demonstrating, often apparently compellingly, that a sensible ethical observer must adopt their view and reject the others. I argue, to the contrary, that an attractive ethic is eclectic or pluralistic, in the sense of coinciding with these apparently different views in different regions of the space of social states. I reject the view that an appea…
Public Ownership of the External World and Private Ownership of Self
Liberal political philosophy defends great inequality of economic outcome on the basis that people own themselves and are entitled to establish private property in the external world by virtue of self-ownership. Contemporary nonlibertarian political philosophers, such as John Rawls and Ronald Dworkin, achieve their relatively egalitarian conclusions by denying self-ownership as a premise. An alternative challenge to libertarianism, which does not…
On the problem of socialist economic design
Igualdad de oportunidades
El autor explora en este artículo dos concepciones de la igualdad de oportunidades ampliamente difundidas en las democracias occidentales de nuestros días. Al clásico principio del mérito opone la igualdad de oportunidades en la adquisición del mérito, que discute apoyándose en la metáfora de la nivelación del terreno de juego. Roemer propone un modelo matemático elemental para analizar el peso del esfuerzo y las circunstancias individuales en la…
Thoughts on Arrangements of Property Rights in Productive Assets
State ownership, worker ownership, and household ownership are the three main forms in which productive assets (firms) can be held. I argue that worker ownership is not wise in economies with high capital-labor ratios, for it forces the worker to concentrate all her assets in one firm. I review the coupon economy that I proposed in 1994, and express reservations that it could work: greedy people would be able to circumvent its purpose of preventi…
Marc Fleurbaey, Fairness, responsibility, and welfare
Efficient Redistribution
An Anti-Hayekian Manifesto
Whither Socialism? poses as an attack on the possibility of market socialism. But that pose is superficial. The central object of Stiglitz’s attack is the conventional general equilibrium model of twentieth-century economic theory, fathered by the French economist Léon Walras in the late nineteenth century, and brought
Inequality Reexamined
On the Workability of Market Socialism
Contrary to the claim of Andrei Shleifer and Robert W. Vishny (1994), it is conceivable under market socialism to take firms out of the orbit of state control and that a less narrow theory of the state than theirs allows the possibility of democratic socialism mitigating problems of economic inefficiency better than capitalism
A Thin Thread
O marxismo da 'escolha racional
Technical change and the “tendency of the rate of profit to fall”
The Effect of Sphere of Influence and Economic Distance on the Commodity Composition of Trade in Manufactures
John E. Roemer, The Effect of Sphere of Influence and Economic Distance on the Commodity Composition of Trade in Manufactures, The Review of Economics and Statistics, Vol. 59, No. 3 (Aug., 1977), pp. 318-327
Differentially Exploited Labor
This paper develops the Marxian theory of value and exploitation for an economy where workers are exploited at different rates due to discrimi nation which is independent of their productivity. The purpose of the paper is to begin an analysis of the formal structure underlying Marxian concepts of dis crimination and labor market segmentation. First, the classical Marxian theory of exploitation is shown to hold for the model. Then, the concept of …
Marxian models of reproduction and accumulation
Journal Article Marxian models of reproduction and accumulation Get access John E. Roemer John E. Roemer *Department of Economics, University of CaliforniaDavis Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Cambridge Journal of Economics, Volume 2, Issue 1, March 1978, Pages 37–53, https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.cje.a035376 Published: 01 March 1978
Divide and Conquer
Microfoundations for a divide-and-conquer model of wage discrimination are provided by positing that workers' psychologies permit racial integration of firms to weaken workers' unity and hence reduce their bargaining power against employers. In this bargaining -- as opposed to competitive -- model of wage determination, there are discriminatory equilibria at which both white and black workers are worse off and employers are better off than would …
Analytical Foundations of Marxian Economic Theory
Professor Roemer's goal in this book is to give a rigorous view of classical Marxian economic theory by presenting specific analytic models. The theory is not extended to deal with new problems, but it is deepened: Marxian theory is given micro-foundations and upon those foundations the author begins to rebuild a tightly constructed Marxian economics. The book begins, after a methodological introduction, with an examination of the Marxian notion …
General Theory of Exploitation and Class
A General Theory of Exploitation and Class
Exploitation, Alternatives and Socialism
Journal Article Exploitation, Alternatives and Socialism Get access John E. Roemer John E. Roemer University of California, Davis Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Economic Journal, Volume 92, Issue 365, 1 March 1982, Pages 87–107, https://doi.org/10.2307/2232258 Published: 01 March 1982
New Directions in the Marxian Theory of Exploitation and Class
A General Theory of Exploitation and Class
Journal Article A General Theory of Exploitation and Class Get access A General Theory of Exploitation and Class. By John E. ROEMER. (London: Harvard University Press, 1982, Pp. 298. £19.25.) David Evans David Evans Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The Economic Journal, Volume 93, Issue 372, 1 December 1983, Pages 939–941, https://doi.org/10.2307/223277…
Equality of Resources Implies Equality of Welfare
If one is an egalitarian, should one try to equalize resources available to agents, or to equalize their welfares? With a suitably general conception of what resources are, these two conceptions cannot be distinguished. An allocation mechanism is defined on a space of economies, and is required to satisfy various axioms that are necessary conditions for "equalizing resources" among a population. The unique mechanism satisfying these axioms on a l…
Marxian Value Analysis
For Marx, the labour theory of value was not a theory of price, but a method for measuring the exploitation of labour. The exploitation of labour, in turn, was important for explaining the production of a surplus in a capitalist economy. In a feudal economy, the emergence of a net product, surplus to the consumption of producers and to the inputs consumed in production, was palpable. For the serf reproduced himself on his family plot of land duri…
Egalitarianism, Responsibility, and Information
Radical and liberal theories of egalitarianism are distinguished, in large part, by the differing degrees to which they hold people responsible for their own well-being. The most liberal or individualistic theory calls for equality of opportunity. Once such “starting gate equality,” as Dworkin (1981a) calls it, is guaranteed, then any final outcome is justified, provided certain rules, such as voluntary trading, are observed. At the other pole, t…
Marxism without Marx
History's effect on the distribution of income
A Challenge to Neo-Lockeanism
The neo-Lockean justification of the highly unequal distribution of income in capitalist societies is based upon two key premises: that people are the rightful owners of their labor and talents, and that the external world was, in the state of nature, unowned, and therefore up for grabs by people, who could rightfully appropriate parts of it subject to a ‘Lockean proviso.’ The argument is presented by Nozick. Counter-proposals to Nozick’s, for th…
Free to Lose
Roemer challenges the morality of an economic system based on private ownership of the means of production. Unless you start with a certain amount of wealth in such a society, you are only "free to lose." This book addresses crucial questions of political philosophy and normative economics
Public Ownership of the External World and Private Ownership of Self
Liberal political philosophy defends great inequality of economic outcome on the basis that people own themselves and are entitled to establish private property in the external world by virtue of self-ownership. Contemporary nonlibertarian political philosophers, such as John Rawls and Ronald Dworkin, achieve their relatively egalitarian conclusions by denying self-ownership as a premise. An alternative challenge to libertarianism, which does not…
Marxism and Contemporary Social Science
Because Marxism was invented over one hundred years ago and both it and social science generally have changed a great deal since then, it becomes increasingly difficult to decide which kinds of work are Marxist in orientation and which are not. Indeed, were this not the case, it would be a bad sign for Marxism. For could one clearly delineate Marxist thought from the rest of social science, it would indicate that those who have been influenced by…
O marxismo da 'escolha racional
Une théorie générale de l'exploitation et des classes
A Thin Thread
The Morality and Efficiency of Market Socialism
Booknotes
Economics (56 obras) · Political science (47 obras) · Sociology (41 obras) · Law (38 obras) · Politics (33 obras) · Philosophy (29 obras) · Epistemology (25 obras) · Law and economics (24 obras) · Neoclassical economics (24 obras) · Political Economy and Marxism (24 obras)