Present-day macroeconomics has sometimes been dubbed ‘the new neoclassical synthesis’, suggesting that it constitutes a reincarnation of the neoclassical synthesis of the 1950s. This paper assesses this understanding. To this end, we examine the contents of the ‘old’ and the ‘new’...

In this review article of Backhouse and Boianovsky’s book, Transforming modern macroeconomics. Exploring disequilibrium microfoundations, 1956-2003, I make the following points: (a) Backhouse and Boianovsky’s too broad understanding of the disequilibrium approach results in their bringing...

Our paper studies two attempts at integrating unemployment in macroeconomics. The first, due to Diamond, consists in a search model exhibiting multiple equilibria. The second is due to Andolfatto and Merz who, more or less simultaneously, were able to integrate the matching function in RBC...

Academic macroeconomics as it has been practiced for the last three decades has a bad reputation, especially after the onset of the 2008 recession. The aim of this paper is to reflect on this state of affairs. To begin, I draw a comparison between Keynesian and Lucasian macroeconomics, bringing...

The aim of this paper is to put forward an alternative to the standard interpretation of Marshall's conception of equilibrium and time. In this new interpretation, the market-period receives a central role. It is considered as the unit of time of the analysis, on the one hand, and as the only...

The objective of the present study is to reflect upon the evolution of Keynesian theory from a specific angle of attack, by recounting the evolution of ideas regarding the theoretical acceptability of one particular yet central concept, namely involuntary unemployment. The first part presents my...

This article examines the question of which institutional assumptions underly competitive general equilibrium theory. Extending Walra’s terminology, the organization of trade hypothesis typical of this theory is called tâtonnement. Its components and its working principles are analysed...

The aim of this article is to analyse critically the definition of involuntary unemployment offered by Lindbeck and Snower in their insider-outsider model. Their category of involuntary unemployment will be shown to be broader than that of unemployment. Hence, with their definitional stance, it...

The aim of this paper is to revisit Hicks‚ "Mr Keynes and the Classics" article. It is argued that Hicks' own model, his IS-LL model, is significantly different from the subsequent textbook IS-LM models. In short, Hicks' classical model exhibits involuntary unemployment and allows for monetary...

The basic claim of this paper is that the debate on involuntary unemployment has been blurred by a series of conceptual confusions. As a remedy, a twofold distinction is advocated. One is between involuntary unemployment and underemployment which, it is argued, are mutually exclusive concepts....