John Weeks (1941 – 26 July 2020) was an American economist, critic of neoliberal economics and a policy advisor to the Labour party under Jeremy Corbyn.[1]
Life
editWeeks was born in Austin, Texas in a middle class family. He received a degree in economics from the University of Texas in 1963 and subsequently enrolled in PhD-studies.[2] Weeks was also active in the US-anti war efforts during the late sixties. Weeks completed his doctorate in 1969 and went on to teach at Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria before becoming a lecturer at the University of Sussex in 1971. Weeks later became an advisor for the Nicaraguan government's planning ministry.[3] In 1985 Weeks was called out as a "dangerous academic" by a conservative organization. In this context, where Weeks felt that the US environment was increasingly hostile, Weeks enthusiastically accepted leaving the US to become Professor Emeritus at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London.[4] His research interests were in theoretical and policy-applied macroeconomics and economic development. Weeks published academic papers, books and policy reports in these areas.[5][6]
Weeks is credited with coining the phrase "quantity theory of competition" to reflect a proposition that more competition in various aspects of the markets (producers, consumers, and workers) will create a more efficient economy.[7]
In August 2015, Weeks endorsed Jeremy Corbyn's campaign in the Labour Party leadership election.[8]
Selected works
editSee also
editReferences
edit- ^ Mohun, Simon (24 Aug 2020). "John Weeks obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ Mohun, Simon (24 Aug 2020). "John Weeks obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ Mohun, Simon (24 Aug 2020). "John Weeks obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ Mohun, Simon (24 Aug 2020). "John Weeks obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
- ^ SOAS staff listing Archived 2019-12-01 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 14 September 2010
- ^ a b c Weeks, John. "Personal page". JWeeks. Archived from the original on 2017-09-22.
- ^ Fine, Ben; Saad-Filho, Alfredo; Boffo, Marco (2012-01-01). The Elgar Companion to Marxist Economics. Edward Elgar Publishing. pp. 12–. ISBN 9781781001226. Retrieved 23 November 2013.
- ^ "The Labour party stands at a crossroads". The Guardian. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
- ^ Shankar Nayak, Bhabani (27 July 2020). "Prof John Weeks Humanised Economics as a Discipline". Counter Currents. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ "We are greatly saddened by the death of the brilliant progressive heterodox economist John Weeks on 26 July". Brave New Europe. 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
Further reading
edit- Works by John Weeks at Marx to Mao
- The Economics of the 1%, 3-part interview, The real news network
- Free Markets: Yellow Brick Road to War, Naked Capitalism