Joan Robinson and the reconstruction of economic theory

Abstract

Abstract Joan Robinson provided numerous contributions to economic theory, ranging from her earlier approach to imperfect competition to her participation in the Keynesian revolution, which had a significant influence in the Cambridge heterodox wing, and Post-Keynesianism. But towards the end of her life, her rejection of received theories was great enough to be often interpreted as a form of theoretical nihilism. However, at this stage she also outlined a radical project for a reconstruction of economic theory, drawing on her notion of historical time, while placing distribution at the centre of economic theory. This later project of a reconstruction of economic theory is revisited here, focussing on the various difficulties it faced, and its overall significance and impact.