Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Income Distribution Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

PDF

Economic History

Portland State University

Articles 1 - 1 of 1

Full-Text Articles in Income Distribution

Working Paper No. 55, An Inquiry Into The Assumptions And Tenets Of Neoclassical Economics That Lead Towards Income Inequality, Katharine Nester Jun 2022

Working Paper No. 55, An Inquiry Into The Assumptions And Tenets Of Neoclassical Economics That Lead Towards Income Inequality, Katharine Nester

Working Papers in Economics

This inquiry seeks to establish that key assumptions foundational to Neoclassical Economics contribute towards income inequality. A consideration of the Neoclassical interpretation and assumptions of the laissez-faire approach to market economies opens the inquiry. I examine the economic outcomes that result when the assumptions underpinning the Neoclassical application of laissez-faire are false, as they often are in the real world. The inquiry then turns to the theories and natural “laws” as advanced by Vilfredo Pareto (1848-1923) and John Bates (J. B.) Clark (1847-1938), which were built upon the Neoclassical adaptation of laissez-faire and became canon in the Neoclassical school. Finally, …