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  • © 2018

The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Seminal text in the field

  • Explores the relevance of Keynes' theory 80 years since initial publication

  • Paul Krugman's Foreword and Robert Skidelsky's Afterword re-evaluate Keynes' revolution in economic thought and bring this text to a new generation of students

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Table of contents (24 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xliii
  2. Introduction

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. The General Theory

      • John Maynard Keynes
      Pages 3-3
    3. The Postulates of the Classical Economics

      • John Maynard Keynes
      Pages 5-20
    4. The Principle of Effective Demand

      • John Maynard Keynes
      Pages 21-30
  3. Definitions and Ideas

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 31-31
    2. The Choice of Units

      • John Maynard Keynes
      Pages 33-40
    3. Expectation as Determining Output and Employment

      • John Maynard Keynes
      Pages 41-45
    4. The Definition of Income, Saving and Investment

      • John Maynard Keynes
      Pages 47-66
  4. The Propensity to Consume

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 77-77
    2. The Propensity to Consume: I. The Objective Factors

      • John Maynard Keynes
      Pages 79-94
    3. The Marginal Propensity to Consume and the Multiplier

      • John Maynard Keynes
      Pages 101-116
  5. The Inducement to Invest

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 117-117
    2. The Marginal Efficiency of Capital

      • John Maynard Keynes
      Pages 119-128
    3. The State of Long-Term Expectation

      • John Maynard Keynes
      Pages 129-143
    4. The General Theory of the Rate of Interest

      • John Maynard Keynes
      Pages 145-153
    5. The Classical Theory of the Rate of Interest

      • John Maynard Keynes
      Pages 155-170
    6. The Psychological and Business Incentives to Liquidity

      • John Maynard Keynes
      Pages 171-184

About this book

This book was originally published by Macmillan in 1936. It was voted the top Academic Book that Shaped Modern Britain by Academic Book Week (UK) in 2017, and in 2011 was placed on Time Magazine's top 100 non-fiction books written in English since 1923. Reissued with a fresh Introduction by the Nobel-prize winner Paul Krugman and a new Afterword by Keynes’ biographer Robert Skidelsky, this important work is made available to a new generation.

The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money transformed economics and changed the face of modern macroeconomics. Keynes’ argument is based on the idea that the level of employment is not determined by the price of labour, but by the spending of money. It gave way to an entirely new approach where employment, inflation and the market economy are concerned.

Highly provocative at its time of publication, this book and Keynes’ theories continue to remain the subject of much support and praise, criticism and debate. Economists at any stage in their career will enjoy revisiting this treatise and observing the relevance of Keynes’ work in today’s contemporary climate.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Cambridge, UK

    John Maynard Keynes

About the author

John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) is one of the most influential economists of modern times. Educated at Cambridge University, he returned to teach at, and become a fellow of, Kings College, Cambridge. In 1915 Keynes joined the UK Treasury and acted as an advisor to government for many years. His ideas are now known the world over as Keynesian economics.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 34.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 44.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access