Race, competition, and institutional change in J.R. Commons

Abdallah Zouache

The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 2017, vol. 24, issue 2, 341-368

Abstract: This article examines the contribution of J.R. Commons to race relations, competition, and institutional change. One result of our study is that, in his analysis of institutional dynamics in the United States, Commons’ rejection of laissez-faire is derived from a racist analytical framework: the “superior races” should be protected from the “inferior races”. Another result is that Commons adopts a neo-Lamarckian framework which takes education as the basis for the assimilation of “inferior races”. This article then shows that policies often defended as progressives, as education policies, may be derived from racist foundations. The final remarks single out the ambiguous connection between race and culture revealed by Commons’ approach.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1080/09672567.2016.1174279

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