A Strong, Deeply Felt, Social Concern

The aim of this paper is to look at Pasinetti’s work, as a distinctive member of the Cambridge School of Keynesian Economics, and consider if and how social concerns constitute a pillar of his scientific research. Primary literature is therefore the main source of this paper. After having traced Pasinetti to Cambridge School, we look at his critique of mainstream economics. We then consider his analysis of the Industrial Revolution's “production paradigm” and the need to move from a pure exchange model to a pure production model. Furthermore, we show how this new paradigm is linked to the analysis of specific, crucial issues: the centrality of labour; the social function of capital; and the role of the institutions. The influence of the Italian tradition of economic thought and of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church is discussed through the lens of the importance Pasinetti attributed to the aims of economic research and the challenges imposed by globalization