Template-Type: ReDIF-Paper 1.0
Author-Name: Roy Grieve
Author-Name-First: Roy
Author-Name-Last: Grieve
Author-Email: Ùe

Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Economics
Title: Nearer to Straffa than Marx:  Adam Smith on productive and unproductive labour
Abstract: We investigate Adam Smith’s analysis of the properties of what he called “productive” - as against “unproductive” - labour, a concept which commentators have frequently found problematic. Puzzles have been noted and inconsistency alleged. A question arises – did Smith confuse two different concepts of productive labour? We believe that, despite the apparent problems, a coherent reading of Smith’s account of productive and unproductive labour is in fact possible: if “productive labour” is understood to refer comprehensively to labour which not only maintains but, through producing a net surplus, adds to the community’s stock of wealth – as regards either the financial or the real resources which make possible economic growth – the difficulties with Smith’s treatment largely disappear.
Length: 27 pages
Creation-Date: 2013-05
Revision-Date: 
Publication-Status: 
File-URL: http://www.strath.ac.uk/media/1newwebsite/departmentsubject/economics/research/researchdiscussionpapers/2013/13-04FINAL.pdf
File-Format: Application/pdf
Number: 1304
Classification-JEL: B12, E11, O11
Keywords: Productive/unproductive labour; basic/non-basic goods; surplus production
Handle: RePEc:str:wpaper:1304