The political economy of Maurice Dobb: history, theory, and the economics of reproduction, crisis, and transformation

Maurice Dobb (1900-1976) was a political economist at Cambridge University from 1924-1976. Dobb made numerous contributions in the fields of economics, history, politics, sociology, and philosophy of science. In spite of his impressive contributions and accomplishments there has been a relative neglect of his work, especially a comprehensive study of his work as a whole. This dissertation is a contribution toward a more comprehensive understanding of the political economy of Maurice Dobb. An institutional interpretation of Maurice Dobb is employed. In the first chapter of the dissertation Dobb's overarching contributions to social science are enunciated and his economic histories analyzed. In Chapter 2 it is shown that Dobb's economic histories initiated the emergence of a school of economic history which now constitutes a unique approach to history, or a separate tradition of historians. Several of the contributing economic historians of this tradition are outlined and scrutinized. Chapter 3 unfolds the political economy of Maurice Dobb. Emphasis is placed upon his institutional approach to political economy, his critique of mainstream neoclassical economic theory, and Dobb's theory of capitalist economic crisis. In Chapter 4 Dobb's methodology and philosophical underpinnings are examined and delineated. Finally in Chapter 5 several conclusions from this study are summarized.