Hello,
I have been reading Mises.org now for about 6 or 7 years and it has really been the best teacher I've ever had on almost any social science topic I've been interested in. Usually questions I have can be answered by doing searches on the site or at least i can be directed to something off-site. However there is one question that I haven't been able to find a satisfactory answer for (actually a series of qustions):
1.) When exactly (year) did Lionel Robbins succumb to the temptations of Darth Keynes and join the Cambridge darkside?
2.) Did he make any public statement in any journal, press or book(biography, etc.) saying he accepted Keynes' theory and if so did he say why he now accepted it?
3.) What was the nature of Hayek's relationship with Robbins after that? Did they remain friendly? Cordial? Did they stop speaking with each other? Did Hayek ever comment on if he saw this turn coming?
4.) Did Robbins repudiate everything he wrote previously to the turn? When Britain was stagnating heavily in the 70s did he ever make statements rethinking his turn? I believe he died in 1984 if my memory serves me.
Please if you have any links or suggest any books that would have this info post them for me as that would be much appreciated.
Thank you
I think there was not much antagonism between Robbins and Hayek, because Robbins took part into the first meeting of the Mont Pelerin Society, but I think that someone like Peter Klein or Roger Garrison could know better about the "defection" of Mr. Robbins.
Soviet_Canuckistan: 1.) When exactly (year) did Lionel Robbins succumb to the temptations of Darth Keynes and join the Cambridge darkside?
1947.
Soviet_Canuckistan:2.) Did he make any public statement in any journal, press or book(biography, etc.) saying he accepted Keynes' theory and if so did he say why he now accepted it?
"Robbins’s views underwent a profound change after World War II. In The Economic Problem in Peace and War Robbins advocated Keynes’s policies of full employment through control of aggregate demand."*
Soviet_Canuckistan:3.) What was the nature of Hayek's relationship with Robbins after that? Did they remain friendly? Cordial? Did they stop speaking with each other? Did Hayek ever comment on if he saw this turn coming?
I don't know, but I do know Hayek was cordial with Keynes himself, so I doubt he would have become un-cordial toward Robbins for becoming Keynesian.
Soviet_Canuckistan:4.) Did Robbins repudiate everything he wrote previously to the turn? When Britain was stagnating heavily in the 70s did he ever make statements rethinking his turn?
I only know that he published a book called Against inflation : speeches in the Second Chamber, 1965-1977 in 1979. Just from the title, it would seem he was fairly anti-Keynesian during those 11 years at least..
Thanks for the assist :) I found the book online through google and have gone through the first bit of it. He states that the war changed his thinking on planning in certain aspects (ie. maintaining "full employment"). It seems like he fell back on Hicks' neo-classical/Keynesian synthesis in that at the micro level laissez-faire works but when you get to things like national income and interest rates and money then the gov't needs to be active. It's a shame reading it really. His early works that this site has posted are brilliant.
Thanks again for the help.
Soviet_Canuckistan:Thanks for the assist :)
You're quite welcome.