A perennial of doctrinal history: Keynes and “the Stockholm school”

economists and economic historians have discussed the problem of the relationship between Gener"l Thror, and its preconditions.To be more exact: to what extent Keynes' theory had been anticipated by other economists.The Poles can point to Kalecki and the Germans to Fohl and Lautenbach.As far al the latter are concerned.opinions would seem to be divided, whereas Joan Robinson's verdict on Kalecki's 1933-1939 papers appears to gain more and more ground: a better introduction to the general theory of employment, interest, and money than any that hu u yet been produced-.Quite rightly.she insists that the Kalecki-Keynes case is one of the most striking of the great coincidences of scientific discovery-.'As is well known.Swedish economic theory.too, has held a prominent place in the discussion right from the beginning.As early as in 1937.Bertil Ohlin, in his contribution to Economic Journal.'Some notes on the Stockholm theory of saving and investment'.asserted that Swedish economists had arrived at mainly the same results al Keynes-an achievement all the more impressive for dating from the beginning of the crisis and depression of the 1930s.In this article Ohlin talked about -the astonishing similarities as well al the striking differences-between the Stockholm economists and Keynes.but he felt more inclined to assess the respective theories as twO independent attacks on the lame type of problem-.While the orthodox Keynesian Lawrence Klein. in 1947.coined the concept -the Keynesian revolutionand drew a sharp distinction between the Swedish economists and Keynes.Ohlin went on claiming a few years later: There has certainly not taken place a revolution in the science of economics during the .19305-.Still a few years later.Erik Lundberg, referring to the Keynesian theory.observed: Such concepts had been considered more or less trivialities by Swedish economists after Wicksell'l day.-I However.there have been dissonant voices even in the Swedish choir.The first datel from Tord Palander.article.On the concepts and methods of the 'Stockholm school ... published in Ekanomisk Tidskri/t in 1941.Palander evidently did not find an essential and explicit connection between the Swedish economists and Keynes.This viewpoint was resumed and developed in 1960 by Karl-Gustaf Landgren in his book Drn 'n,.rkonamin' i S'Uerige.The main ideu of Landgren's book may perhaps be summed up in the following sis.points:1.The 50-called Stockholm Ichool (primarily Lindahl-Myrdal-Ohlin) can not be given priority as far as the introduction of the so-called new economic theory is concerned.