Interpreting Joan Robinson Following in Geoff Harcourt’s Footsteps

ABSTRACT

In this paper, I present a bird’s-eye view of Robinson’s intellectual journey and I follow Harcourt in his assessment of her contributions and intellectual personality. From his many articles and books, in all his unconditional support and admiration of her, there were also some theoretical disagreements. These particularly revolve around her interpretation of Marx, and in some respects also of Sraffa. This bears witness to Harcourt’s integrity and intellectual honesty, a scholar who could be at the same time both critical and sympathetic in intellectual confrontations, whilst also being a very close friend.

KEYWORDS:

• Joan Robinson
• Geoff Harcourt
• post-Keynesian economics

Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Marcuzzo (1991[1997], 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2018, 2022).

2 ‘Harcourt’s approach to the history of Keynesian and post-Keynesian economics in general, and of J. Robinson and her circle in particular, has been sometimes criticized for its allegedly uncritical tone and attempt to vindicate heterodox economics’ (Boianovsky 2022, p. 22).

3 Letter of 19 May 1961 in RFK Papers 13/90/6/199-200.