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Chris, how do you define "profit".

Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Jul 15th, 2007 at 02:20:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Final Demand Inflation?
by ChrisCook (cojockathotmaildotcom) on Sun Jul 15th, 2007 at 02:24:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I don't get it.

Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Jul 15th, 2007 at 04:01:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]
This is a term coined by Gunnar Tomasson in the 1970's while at the IMF: he is one of the founding fathers of "Creditary Economics".

Creditary Economics

Discussion re Final Demand Inflation

I'm interested in it, too, and you'll find me alongside Gunnar and others among the "People" on the above site because I am a frequent contributor to the Gang8 Yahoo list and have been admitted to the inner sanctum. (albeit I do not have the understanding of Economics these guys do...)

I think they are partly right in their "creditary" critique of conventional Economics, but tend to ignore the role of property rights and investment, as opposed to credit.

The following is an interesting quote.

 In the context of Say's Law, Profit is always and necessarily the product of Final Demand Inflation whereby the banking system creates New Credit (of, say, 10) for loan-financing of Final Demand for Goods and Services whose Factor Supply Cost is 100.

With Final Demand at 110, Entrepreneurs would be left with Profit of 10 after repaying the original Production Credit of 100.  In the accounts of the "banking" system, this would show up as
Entrepreneurial Deposits in the amount of 10 and Outstanding Final Demand Credit of 10.

[Gunnar Tomasson]

You won't currently find Creditary Economics on Wikipedia, not sure why it's been taken down twice, but it does rather tend to debunk the accepted orthodoxy.

Gunnar's run in with Samuelson, and his take on the insubstantial nature of the foundations of neoCon Economics are fascinating. Much good stuff in the Gang8 archives.

Oh. And what is Profit, indeed? It's all relative...

by ChrisCook (cojockathotmaildotcom) on Sun Jul 15th, 2007 at 05:05:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Hmm, that's an interesting way to look at Keynes' "demand makes the world go 'round".

Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Jul 15th, 2007 at 05:10:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
My first instinct was to call it a supply-side recasting of Keynes, but I refrained. However, Say's law is precisely the reverse of Keynes and the foundation of Supply-side economics: supply creates its own demand.

Are the Gang8 supply-siders, then? That quotation doesn't seen like a critique of Say's law.

Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Jul 15th, 2007 at 05:15:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I'm not well enough versed in the definitions, let alone the history, but I think you might find the Gang8 archives extremely interesting.

There are some polymaths there for sure...

by ChrisCook (cojockathotmaildotcom) on Sun Jul 15th, 2007 at 05:28:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
What they need to do is move into ET ;-)

BTW, is Gunnar Tomasson the same person that wrote this? And the dean of Engineering at Reykjavik?

Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Jul 15th, 2007 at 05:37:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]
He's retired now, I think, so he's probably not the Dean Of Engineering, but he did write that note, yes. I think his first degree was in Physics.
by ChrisCook (cojockathotmaildotcom) on Sun Jul 15th, 2007 at 05:51:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]
This is really a funny coincidence, then, because there is this guy who has the same name, is hiring faculty for a financial engineering program, is Dean of Engineering and has had an active career in the physics of turbulence for the past 20 years...

Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Sun Jul 15th, 2007 at 06:04:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]
99% sure it's not the same guy, but everyone's related in Iceland!

As for Financial Engineering, that might be right up your street!

I think it does occasionally get above 10 degrees in Reykjavik....

by ChrisCook (cojockathotmaildotcom) on Sun Jul 15th, 2007 at 06:41:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]
This stuff seems like it would make an interesting diary:
Statement on Creditary Principles
  1. The differentiation of human labour made a credit system essential for the free exchange of goods and services. A direct barter system was inadequate for the fullest possible development of the potential of human industry.
  2. The most potent form of credit was trade credit advanced by one supplier in the chain of production to the next in line.
  3. The debts created by the granting of trade credit are monetised, that is they become a means of exchange. The bill of exchange in all its forms has throughout human history and pre-history been the way of achieving this object, converting a trade debt into a negotiable instrument which is usable as money.
  4. All money is debt, but not all debt is money, though all debts have the capability of becoming money, a means of exchange, by being made assignable.
  5. Money therefore consists of assignable debts, whether it is being used as a medium of exchange or as store of claims on value.
  6. Money is therefore created by the granting and drawing down of loans.
  7. When a bank allows a loan to be drawn down, at the same time the credit balance to finance the loan is automatically created somewhere in the banking system.
  8. Savings are retained financial assets, though the period of retention may be brief or long. As all financial assets are forms of credit/debt, savings automatically come into existence when a new loan is drawn down.
  9. One of the purposes for which a loan may be granted is real investment, that is the creation of new productive assets. It follows that the savings to finance real investment must be created automatically by the spending of a loan to create a new productive asset.
  10. Savings = borrowings (The definition of borrowing in this context includes equity finance).
  11. The encouragement of saving automatically encourages an equal amount of borrowing. There is no reason at all why the borrowing should be solely for the purpose of real investment. Among the many assets it may finance are debtors, work in progress, stocks, or consumer credit.
  12. The only way to promote real investment is to create a favourable environment for it.


Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Jul 16th, 2007 at 04:38:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]
It would indeed. There is much I agree with, and quite a bit I don't eg

The definition of borrowing in this context includes equity finance

which defines chalk as cheese, but it's an interesting take on Economics.

You/I could perhaps invite (via the Gang 8 list) one of the proponents to make a debut/ guest diary on ET?

I found the "Privilege" Diary - by one of the noted proponents of Georgism - absolutely excellent in terms of the debate it stimulated.

And thanks for the steer re Wikipedia. You certainly tell it like it is, Don Migeru!

by ChrisCook (cojockathotmaildotcom) on Mon Jul 16th, 2007 at 06:17:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]
You/I could perhaps invite (via the Gang 8 list) one of the proponents to make a debut/ guest diary on ET?

It's best for you (as I can't post diaries from work) to post a diary with either the list of principles or the list of tasks, see what sort of discussion thread develops, and then for you (as you know these people) invite the Gang8 people to read the comment thread once it's developed.

Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Jul 16th, 2007 at 06:27:12 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Ok.

But before I post a Diary, I'll see which of them is prepared to wade into this nest of pinko subversives...

by ChrisCook (cojockathotmaildotcom) on Mon Jul 16th, 2007 at 06:41:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]
No, no. If they don't want to wade they don't want to wade. I'll post a diary tonight if you don't do it today, regardless.

Can the last politician to go out the revolving door please turn the lights off?
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Jul 16th, 2007 at 06:42:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Well, I'll do a Diary later, and try and get hold of a couple of them on the phone to fight their corner...

You don't DO patience do you Mig?

by ChrisCook (cojockathotmaildotcom) on Mon Jul 16th, 2007 at 07:04:19 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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