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H ISTORY O F E CONOMIC T HOUGHT

Explore Adam Smith's principles of banking and economics to find solutions for the current financial crisis. This lecture examines key themes in Smith's work and applies them to the present situation.

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H ISTORY O F E CONOMIC T HOUGHT

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  1. HISTORY OFECONOMIC THOUGHT DR. PETROS KOSMAS LECTURER, CASA COLLEGE ACADEMIC YEAR 2010 - 2011 LECTURE 4 ECON-220

  2. How Would Adam Smith Fix the Financial Crisis? “Though the principles of the banking trade may appear somewhat abstruse, the practice is capable of being reduced to strict rules. To depart upon any occasion from those rules, in consequence of some flattering speculation of extraordinary gain, is almost always extremely dangerous, and frequently fatal to the banking company which attempts it.” —Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations ([1776] 1976), vol. 2, 279 ECON-220

  3. Economics without Economic History The drama of the banking crisis…is unprecedented in the lifetime of almost all of us. Governor of the Bank of England, 2008 The Worst Financial Crisis since the 1930s. Governor of the Bank of England, 1973 ECON-220

  4. Economics without Economic History The drama of the banking crisis…is unprecedented in the lifetime of almost all of us. Governor of the Bank of England, 2008 The Worst Financial Crisis since the 1930s. Governor of the Bank of England, 1973 ECON-220

  5. “Northern Wreck” Britons in the queue, between the Rock and a hard place ECON-220

  6. Banking Crises Source: National Bureau of Economic Research (US) ECON-220

  7. Motivations for Talk To emphasize the structural versus contingent causes of the current crisis. To save Smith from neo-classical appropriation. Objectives of Lecture Examine key themes in Smith Apply Smith to the present ECON-220

  8. Adam Smith Those exertions of the natural liberty of a few individuals, which might endanger the security of the whole of society are, and ought to be, restrained by the laws of governments…The obligation of building party walls to prevent the communication of fire, is a violation of natural liberty, exactly of the same kind with the regulations of the banking trade which are here proposed. - Wealth of Nations Vol. 1, 345 ECON-220

  9. “Dark Age in Macroeconomics”Paul Krugman Rea£ Profit$ of the Financial Sector (USA) Source: National Income and Product Accounts

  10. Solutions derived from Smith 100 percent reserve banking Mutualise Financial Institution Ownership End contracts on intangible un-deliverables ECON-220

  11. What is Wealth? • Bullionists • Mercantilists • Physiocrats • Political Economists ECON-220

  12. Neo Bullionism “Money is neither a material to work upon, nor a tool to work with.” -Adam Smith, Vol. 1, 313 Structured Finance Innovation Engineering ADDING VALUE ECON-220

  13. Smith on THE DIVISION OF LABOR Territorial Division of Labor Organizational Division of Labor Technical Division of Labor ECON-220

  14. Technical Division of Labor “In the progress of the division of labor…the great body of the people comes to be confined to a few very simple operations. But…the man whose life is spent in performing a few simple operations…generally becomes as stupid and ignorant as it is possible.” Wealth of Nations Vol. II, 302-303 ECON-220

  15. Smith on Profit$ “ As capitals increase in any country the profits which can be made by employing them necessarily diminish. It becomes gradually more and more difficult to find within the country a profitable method of employing any new capital.” Wealth of Nations Vol. 1, 375 ECON-220

  16. Territorial Division of Labor ECON-220

  17. UK Current Account Deficit ECON-220

  18. ‘Natural’ Growth“Unnatural” Growth ECON-220

  19. Smith’s Three Classes Landlords Laborers Merchants ECON-220

  20. Redistribution of Wealth ECON-220

  21. Smith on Class Interests [The merchant class’] interest is never exactly the same with that of the public, who have generally an interest to deceive and even to oppress the public, and who accordingly have, upon many occasions, both deceived and oppressed it. Wealth of Nations Vol. 1 , 277 ECON-220

  22. Smith on Profits Our merchants and master-manufacturers complain much of the bad effects of high wages. They say nothing concerning the bad effects of high profits. They are silent with regard to the pernicious effects of their own gains. They complain only of those of other people. Wealth of Nations Vol. 1, 110 ECON-220

  23. A Typology of Class:Or how did you make your money? ECON-220

  24. Mortgage Lending by Purpose (UK) ECON-220

  25. Wealth and Work ECON-220

  26. Two Sides of the Same Coin:Democratization of Credit/Tyranny of DebtHousehold Debt as Proportion of GDP ECON-220

  27. ECON-220

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