Böhm-Bawerk and Hicks modernized

Abstract

The paper offers a modernized BA¶hm-Bawerkian approach to capital theory. The Wicksell effect turns out to be a measure for the degree of vertical distribution of labor. I show that a marginal rise in the rate of interest reduces the (modernized) period of production. A ‘generalized golden rule of accumulation’ is one result of our approach. Based on these results I define a coefficient of intertemporal substitution (CIS). As opposed to the traditional elasticity of substitution between labor and capital, the CIS is also well defined for negative real rates of interest. This is important in the twenty-first century, since we observe a strong overhang of private savings over private investments (secular stagnation).