The economic table ( French Tableau économique ) is the work of the French economist Francois Quesnay , which is one of the first attempts to describe social reproduction in general. It is believed that it was Quesnay who supplemented the categorical apparatus of the economy with the term “reproduction” . A table compiled by a scientist in 1758 is based on the establishment of balance proportions between natural, that is, material, and cost, that is, monetary, elements of production [1] .
Based on the paradigm of “pure product”, which postulates the fundamental possibility of creating new value only in agriculture , Quesnay laid the foundations of the economic teachings of the physiocrats .
Content
- 1 The main elements of the theory
- 2 Publication History
- 3 Criticism
- 4 See also
- 5 notes
- 6 Literature
Key Elements of Theory
Quesnay identified three groups of agents in the public sector:
- farmers and wage laborers of the agricultural sector, “productive class”,
- land owners - feudal lords (including the king),
- industrialists, merchants, artisans and other non-agricultural workers, the "barren class."
According to the table, as part of the annual reproduction cycle, there are five acts of circulation of products and money, preceded by the payment of land rent: farmers pay landowners 2 billion livres. Then the conversion process takes place:
- owners buy from farmers food worth 1 billion livres. Farmers get a billion back, and this amount, as 1/5 of the annual product is withdrawn from circulation;
- the owners of the second billion annuities buy industrial products from the "barren" class;
- The "barren" class for the billion received buys food from farmers. Farmers receive another billion, and another fifth of the annual product is phased out;
- farmers buy 1 billion worth of barren industrial products. Products replace those tools and materials whose value is included in the cost of the annual product produced;
- The barren class buys raw materials from farmers for this billion.
Publication History
The work of the French economist was published in 1758 (according to other sources - in 1759) . It is noteworthy that the king of France, Louis XV , was the typewriter of the text. [2]
Criticism
Quesnay's work was criticized by Marx . He rejected the axiomatics of the table, declaring the theory of “pure product” false, and the concept of dividing society into just three classes incorrect. According to Marx, Quesnay was not able to reflect the mechanism of reproduction in the conditions of the formation of capitalism and the internal inconsistency of this mechanism. On the other hand, the German economist praised Quesnay's practical recommendations, noting their progressive antifeudal character.
See also
- Intersectoral balance
Notes
- ↑ Quesnay Economic Table - article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia (3rd edition)
- ↑ Article - Journal of the Problem of Modern Economics
Literature
- Blaug M. Economic table // Economic thought in retrospect = Economic Theory in Retrospect. - M .: Case , 1994 .-- S. 22-24. - XVII, 627 p. - ISBN 5-86461-151-4 .
- Speranskaya L. N. “Economic table” F. Quesnay // World History of Economic Thought : In 6 volumes / Ch. ed. V.N. Cherkovets. - M .: Thought , 1987. - T. I. From the inception of economic thought to the first theoretical systems of political life. - S. 454-459. - 606 s. - 20,000 copies. - ISBN 5-244-00038-1 .
- Trachtenberg I. A. Francois Quesnay and his “Economic Table” // Capitalist reproduction and economic crises (Essay on the theory). - 2nd ed. - M .: Gospolitizdat , 1954. - S. 9-17. - 199 p. - 150,000 copies.
- Quesnay Economic Chart // Chagan - Aix-les-Bains. - M .: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1978. - ( Great Soviet Encyclopedia : [in 30 vols.] / Ch. Ed. A. M. Prokhorov ; 1969-1978, vol. 29).