Showing papers on "Veblen good published in 1975"

Thorstein Veblen's Theory of Evolutionary Change

Abstract: A STRONG CASE could be made for the claim that Thorstein Veblen's contribution to sociology, and his theory of evolutionary change in particular, are among the most misrepresented and undervalued in the history of the subject. Banks, for example, has noted that, perhaps, "there is no other sociologist of his generation whose words are so often quoted but whose works are so little read" (1). There are many possible reasons for the neglect of Veblen by contemporary sociologists (2), including his polysyllabic and repetitive style that seems to have discouraged all those except the most critical or admiring social scientists; the ambiguous, complex and polemical nature of his works; and the difficulty of locating him in any one clear-cut intellectual tradition. A further barrier to a belated reappraisal of his social thought in its totality, is the essentially non-sociological and/or eclectic character of the majority of secondary sources on his writings (3). In addition, there exists a range of interpretations that liken certain aspects of Veblen's social thought to the contributions of Marx and Weber (4). Finally, there is an important sense in which Veblen's contribution has become a battleground between the rival claims of economics and sociology as autonomous disciplines. In this respect the works of Veblen and Marx converge. They both criticized classical economics for its failure to consider economic phenomena as social phenomena and consequently to recognize that each type of economic system presupposes a specific form of society. Thus, instead of pursuing the integration of the two subjects initiated by Veblen, critics have persisted in examining his contribution from one or other points of view. Martindale, for example, has noted this tendency yet proceeds to deny the possibility of economic sociology: "Veblen tended to be classified as an economist by the sociologist and as a sociologist by the economists. His proper field, it appears, is sociology; it is high time sociologists claimed him for their own" (5). The purpose of this excursus into the realm of bibliographic criticism is to illustrate some of the shortcomings of the secondary literature on Veblen. In sum, I would suggest that the majority of Veblen's critics have failed to comprehend the totality of his contribution, and at the same

Thorstein Veblen as an Economic Theorist

Abstract: : Thornstein Veblen is known as an iconoclast and critic of theory. It is not generally recognized to what extent he in fact evolved theories of his own, theories which were a development of neoclassical economics and precursor of later developments. This paper sketches his theories of the firm, of cyclical fluctuations, and of economic development.

Are goods goods? Some further evidence: a comment

Abstract: (1975). Are goods goods? Some further evidence: a comment. Applied Economics: Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 93-98.

An ‘Invidious Comparison,’ Class and Status, 1929-60: Effects of Employment, Cost and Time on Veblen's Theory of Class*

Abstract: . A consequent of Thorstein Veblen's theory of ‘invidious comparison’ is investigated as it applies to class and status. This research evaluates specifically shifting socioeconomic effects within the structure of society that are often taken to be important causes for determining leisure interests by class. That time, employment, personal debt, and costs effect leisure were hypothesized to be decisive factors in the class leisure outcome. The relative and total predictive influence of the independent variables was analyzed and found to predict differences of leisure interests between the social classes. The findings lend support to Veblen's notion of the leisured class and its acquisition of status.

The Decadent Performance of the Jet-Set. The Leisure Class Revisited

Abstract: A culturo-sociological analysis of the behavior & consumption patterns of the "jet-set" finds it is a group of colorful, but primarily decadent, individuals. Difference & similarities between the jet-set & T. Veblen's leisure class are noted (The Theory of the Leisure Class, New York: 1953). Structural & cultural changes that have taken place since the publication of that work are taken into account. The jet-set constitutes a power elite. The behavior patterns of the members of the jet-set are analyzed with reference to E. Goffman's theories in The Presentation of the Self in Everyday Life, Hammondsworth, 1972). The jet-set is the logical product of the status system in a decadent society that makes consumption a fetish. A. Orianne.