*For full programme of INET YSI WG on History of Economic Thought online
seminar see attached.*



The *Institute of New Economic Thinking*

*Young Scholars Initiative *(INET YSI)

*Working Group on the History of Economic Thought*

is organising a monthly



*Young Scholars online seminar*

in *History of Economic Thought*



*Monday 10 April, 17:00 CET (summer time)*

*Utility Matters: Malinvaud and growth theory in the 1950s and 1960s*

Matheus Assaf, University of São Paulo

*Discussant*: Till Düppe, UQAM

*Chair:* Camila Orozco Espinel, EHESS


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<https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/815086087>*

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communication.




*Abstract*

The textbook narrative of the development of growth models usually takes
Robert Solow’s 1956 contribution as a key starting point. In Solow’s
one-good model the saving rate is exogenous and, therefore, the next
important development is a one-good model in which agents optimize utility
and choose the saving rate, which is the case in the so-called
“Ramsey-Cass-Koopmans” model developed in the early 1960s. As it is often
the case, the potted histories that typically appear in textbooks are
historically misleading as they organize past developments usually based on
theoretical concerns: in the above case, the one-good model moving from
exogenous to endogenous savings. However, the road connecting Solow to the
Ramsey-Cass-Koopmans model is not so straightforward. In particular, the
contributions of David Cass and Tjalling Koopmans came out of the activity
analysis and multi-sector models literature. And here Edmond Malinvaud
played an important role in developing a utilitarian intertemporal
framework. Being a student of Maurice Allais and knowing the multi-sector
model of John von Neumann, Malinvaud insisted that activity analysis had to
move beyond the typical production efficiency analysis to one that included
the consumption of individuals. In this paper, we hope to have a richer
historical account of the developments of growth theory in the 1950s and
1960s, and to stress the contribution of Malinvaud to the works of Koopmans
and Cass.





*About the Presenter*

Matheus Assaf is a first year PhD student at the University of São Paulo.
He received his master's degree from the same university under the
supervision of Pedro Garcia Duarte (co-author of the paper that will be
presented in the webinar). Matheus research interests include the history
of economic theory after World War II, in particular the history of
mathematical economics, general equilibrium theory and growth theory.




*About the Young Scholars online seminar in History of Economic Thought*

This seminar aims to offer an opportunity for young scholars worldwide
pursuing questions in the History of Economic Thought to receive expert
feedback and extend their academic network without the need for expensive
travelling. This year’s iteration of the seminar will comprise sessions of
one young scholar’s presentation, followed by discussion by a senior
scholar, and a general discussion. The seminar will be held online via
video conference, making use of the software GoToMeeting, which permits
high quality video and audio communication and PowerPoint presentations
with up to a hundred participants.






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