The Impact of Financialization on the Rate of Profit: A Discussion

Stefano Di Bucchianico

No CSWP36, Centro Sraffa Working Papers from Centro di Ricerche e Documentazione "Piero Sraffa"

Abstract: The present work, by making use of the ‘integrated wage-goods sector’ methodology proposed by Gareg-nani, investigates some channels through which financialization may impact the normal rate of profit. We analyze the effect of a higher profit share in the financial sector, the technical innovations in the financial sector and rising household indebtedness. We find that none of them influences normal profitability, with the exception of one type of technical innovation. We subsequently critically discuss some Marxian strands of analysis that describe financialization as a temporary countertendency to supposed falling gen-eral profitability. We argue in favor of a separate analysis between growth caused by private borrowing and the study of a normal distribution. Finally, a recent attempt to read the ‘sixth’ countertendency to the falling rate of profit listed by Marx as an anticipation of the phenomenon of financialization is criticized, proposing an alternative interpretation.

Keywords: falling profitability; financialization; financial crisis; rate of profit (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: B14 B51 P12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 44 pages
Date: 2019-05-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-bec, nep-hme and nep-pke
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ris:sraffa:0036

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