Macroeconomic Confusion. A Marshallian Perspective

This note critically evaluates the New Classical Macroeconomics from a Marshallian perspective. Revisiting the famous Keynes-Tinbergen controversy, it is argued that Keynes' criticism comprises the "Lucas critique," and that it is misleading to label this a critique of Keynesian economics. The postulate of immutable economic structures carries Tinbergen's approach to the extreme and neglects the possibility of slowly changing structures, as conceived by Marshall. The position is defended by arguments about equilibrium and rationality that are admittedly empty.