Questo mi porta a chiudere il cerchio con Beatrice e Sidney Webb, i fondatori della London School of Economics and Political Science, dove Besley e Burgess lavorano, i quali hanno sostenuto esattamente la visione opposta, dicendo che “ciò che è più urgentemente necessario… è un’estensione del forte braccio della legge a protezione dei lavoratori oppressi nelle difficili trattative” (Webb and Webb 1902, p. xvii). I Webbs hanno sostenuto i salari minimi, il determinare un limite massimo delle ore lavorative, e un consistente aumento del potere dei lavoratori di contrapporsi per metter fine al parassitismo dei datori di lavoro, e spingendo per portare la “democrazia” nell’industria attraverso i sindacati e la contrattazione collettiva. E questo è quanto, per il progresso dell’ economia.
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Servaas Storm è un economista e saggista olandese (Università di Delft); lavora nel campo della macroeconomia, del progresso tecnologico, della distribuzione del reddito & crescita economica, finanza, sviluppo e riforme strutturali e cambiamento climatico.
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