Sraffian Indeterminacy: a Critical Discussion

This paper is aimed at discussing Mandler’s interpretation of Sraffa’s price theory. In. particular we will analyse Mandler’s idea that an institutional determination of. distribution, suggested by Sraffa, could be solidly advanced only in the case of. equilibrium price indeterminacy in intertemporal sequential models. First it will be. shown that this kind of indeterminacy arises from an arbitrary use of the tendency to. a uniformrate of return on the supply prices of capital goods. Second, itwill be remarked. that,when Sraffa’s contribution is placed, as it should,within the classical theory of value. and distribution, no price or Sraffian indeterminacywill result.Finally,wewill argue that. Mandler’s emphasis on the non-arbitrariness of the capital goods endowments, which is. at the root of his indeterminacy result, naturally leads to refer to those normal positions of. the economy whose only possible consistent determination is Sraffa’s price theory.