Abstract
The reproduction of society requires the production and distribution of the mass of products which forms the material basis of its existence. This in turn means that each society must somehow ensure that its available social labour time is regularly directed, in particular quantities and proportions, towards the specific applications needed to ensure social reproduction. As Marx points out, ‘every child knows that a nation which ceased to work … even for a few weeks, would perish’ (Marx 1867a).
This chapter was originally published in The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics, 1st edition, 1987. Edited by John Eatwell, Murray Milgate and Peter Newman
References
Marx, K. 1867a. Capital, vol. I, 1st ed., ch. 1 and Appendix to ch. 1. In Value: Studies by Karl Marx. Trans. and Ed. A. Dragstedt. London: New Park Publications, 1976.
Marx, K. 1867b. Capital, vol. I. Introduced by E. Mandel. London: Penguin, 1976, ch. 1.
Marx, K. 1879. Marginal notes to A. Wagner’s textbook on political economy. In Value: Studies by Karl Marx. Trans. and Ed. A. Dragstedt. London: New Park Publications, 1976.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Copyright information
© 1987 The Author(s)
About this entry
Cite this entry
Shaikh, A. (1987). Abstract and Concrete Labour. In: The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_478-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95121-5_478-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Online ISBN: 978-1-349-95121-5
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Economics and FinanceReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences