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Chicago Suggested Reading Syllabus

Chicago. Price and distribution theory. Metzler, 1952

 

 

 

Today’s reading lists for the core Chicago course in price and distribution theory as taught by Harvard’s man in Chicago, Lloyd A. Metzler, in 1952 is virtually identical to that of his reading lists for 1948-49 posted earlier. There were only a few additions and few deletions. More interesting are comparisons with the reading lists for the same course as taught by Milton Friedman in ca. 1947, Arnold Harberger in 1955, or Gary Becker in 1956.

 

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Economics 300A
Winter Quarter, 1952
Lloyd A. Metzler

  1. The Theory of Consumer’s Choice

A. Marshall, Principles of Economics, Book III.
J. R. Hicks, Value and Capital, Chapters I – V, and appendices to these chapters.
W. S. Jevons, Theory of Political Economy, Chapters I – IV.
P. A. Samuelson, Foundations of Economic Analysis, Chapters III, V, VII.
M. Friedman and L. J. Savage, “The Utility Analysis of Choices Involving Risk,Journal of Political Economy, LVI (August, 1948) 279-304.
I. Fisher, “Measuring Marginal Utility,” in Economic Essays in Honor of John B. Clark (1927).
G. J. Stigler, “The Development of Utility Theory, I,” Journal of Political Economy, LVIII (August, 1950) pp. 307-327.
M. Friedman, “The Marshallian Demand Curve,” Journal of Political Economy, LVII (December, 1949), pp. 463-495.

  1. Production Functions and Cost Schedules

J. M. Cassels, “On the Law of Variable Proportions,” in Explorations in Economics (1936).
J. R. Hicks, Value and Capital, Chapter VI, VII, VIII, and appendices to those chapters.
J. Robinson, The Economics of Imperfect Competition, Chapter II.
P. A. Samuelson, Foundations, Chapter IV.
G. J. Stigler, The Theory of Price, Chapters VII, VIII.

  1. Market Price under Perfect Competition.

J. Robinson, Economics of Imperfect Competition, Book III.
A. Marshall, Principles, Book V.
G. J. Stigler, The Theory of Price, Chapters IX, X.

  1. Monopoly and Monopolistic Competition.

J. Robinson, Economics of Imperfect Competition, Books II, IV, V, and X.
E. Chamberlin, Theory of Monopolistic Competition, IV, V, VI, VII.

  1. Duopoly, Oligopoly, Bilateral Monopoly.

J. Marschak, “Neumann’s and Morgenstern’s New Approach to Static Economics,” Journal of Political Economy, LIV, (April 1946).
E. Chamberlin, Theory of Monopolistic Competition, Chapter III.
H. G. Lewis, “Some Observations on Duopoly Theory.” American Economic Review, XXXVIII (May 1948, supplement) 1-9.
O. Morgenstern, “Oligopoly, Monopolistic Competition, and the Theory of Games,” American Economic Review, XXXVIII (May 1948, supplement) 10-18.
W. Fellner, Competition Among the Few, New York, 1949.

  1. Modern Price Theory and Welfare Economics.

A. Burk (Bergson), “A Reformulation of Certain Aspects of Welfare Economics,” Quarterly Journal of Economics (1937-38).
A. C. Pigou, The Economics of Welfare (4th Edition), Part II, Chapters I – XI.
A. P. Lerner, The Economics of Control, Chapters I – XIX.
P. A. Samuelson, Foundations, Chapter VIII.
J. R. Hicks, “The Foundations of Welfare Economics,” Economic Journal XLIX (1939).
G. J. Stigler, “The New Welfare Economics,” American Economic Review, XXXIII (1943), 355-359.
T. de Scitovszky, “A Note of Welfare Propositions in Economics,” Review of Economic Studies, IX (1941-42) pp. 77-88.
P. A. Samuelson, “Evaluation of Real National Income,” Oxford Economic Papers, II, new series (January 1950) pp. 1-29.

 

Required purchases:

A. Marshall, Principles of Economics.
J. R. Hicks, Value and Capital.
E. Chamberlin, Theory of Monopolistic Competition.

 

Source: Duke University. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book, Manuscript and Special Collections Library. Economists’ Papers Archive. Lloyd Appleton Metzler Papers, Box 9, Folder: “Reading Lists 300 A & B — 302”.

 

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Economics 300B
Major Topics and Selected Readings
Spring Quarter, 1952
Lloyd A. Metzler

The principal books to be used are as follows:

A. Marshall, Principles of Economics, eighth edition, reprinted 1947.
J. R. Hicks, Value and Capital, second edition, 1946.
B. Haley and W. Fellner, editors, Readings in the Theory of Income Distribution, reprinted 1947.
G. J. Stigler, Production and Distribution Theories, 1941.
J. R. Hicks, The Theory of Wages.

  1. Production Functions and the Doctrine of Marginal Productivity

B. Haley and W. Fellner, Readings, Chapters 5, 6, 7, 11.
Stigler, Production and Distribution Theories.
P. H. Douglas, “Are There Laws of Production?”, American Economic Review, XXXVIII (1948) 1-41.
E. Chamberlin, The Theory of Monopolistic Competition, Chapter 8.

  1. The Theory of Wages

B. Haley and W. Fellner, Readings, Chapters 13, 14, 16, 17, 19.
J. R. Hicks, The Theory of Wages, 1932.
R. A. Lester, “Shortcomings of Marginal Analysis for Wage-Employment Problems”, American Economic Review, 1946.
F. Machlup, “Marginal Analysis and Empirical Research”, American Economic Review, 1946.

  1. Capital and Interest

E. Böhm-Bawerk, The Positive Theory of Capital, 1891.
I. Fisher, The Theory of Interest, 1930.
W. Fellner and B. Haley, Readings, Chapters 20, 21, 22, 23,24, 26.
J. M. Keynes, General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, Book IV.
A. Marshall, Principles, the relevant chapters in Books IV and VI.
J. R. Hicks, Value and Capital, Parts III and IV.

  1. Inter-relations of Wages, Interest, and Profits.

F. H. Knight, Risk, Uncertainty and Profit.
J. A. Schumpeter, The Theory of Economic Development.
K. Wicksell, Interest and Prices.
________, Lectures on Political Economy, Vol. I, Part 2.
J. S. Mill, Principles of Political Economy, Book IV.

 

Source: Duke University. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book, Manuscript and Special Collections Library. Economists’ Papers Archive. Lloyd Appleton Metzler Papers, Box 9, Folder: “Reading Lists 300 A & B — 302”.

Source Image: “From family album, taken while Lloyd Metzler was a student at Harvard.”
“Lloyd A. Metzler” by Margiemetz – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.