The Theory of the Leisure Class by Robert Lekachman

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The Theory of the Leisure Class by Robert Lekachman

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The Theory of the Leisure Class by Robert Lekachman

The Theory of the Leisure Class is criticism of capitalism. Conspicuous consumption, along with conspicuous leisure, is performed to demonstrate wealth or mark social status. The book is a treatise on economics and a detailed, social critique of conspicuous consumption, as a function of social class and of consumerism, derived from the social stratification of people and the division of labour, which are the social institutions of the feudal period (9th - 15th centuries) that have continued to the modern era. The book presents the evolutionary development of human institutions (social and economic) that shape society, such as how the citizens earn their livelihoods, wherein technology and the industrial arts are the creative forces of economic production. The sociology and economics applied by Veblen show the dynamic, intellectual influences of Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Adam Smith, and Herbert Spencer; thus, his theories of socio-economics emphasize evolution and development as characteristics of human institutions. Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929) was an American economist and sociologist. He is well known as a witty critic of capitalism. Within the history of economic thought, Veblen is considered the leader of the institutional economics movement. Veblen's distinction between institutions and technology is still called the Veblenian dichotomy by contemporary economists.
Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929) was a Norwegian-American sociologist and economist and a leader of the Efficiency Movement. In 1919, Veblen, along with Charles Beard, James Harvey Robinson and John Dewey, helped found the New School for Social Research (known today as New School University).

Robert Lekachman was a professor of economics at Lehman College, City University of New York, and is the author of The Age of Keynes and Capitalism for Beginners.
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780140187953
ISBN 10 0140187952
Title The Theory of the Leisure Class
Author Robert Lekachman
Series Penguin Modern Classics
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Paperback
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Year published 1995-07-27
Number of pages 416
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.