Robert Lekachman

Robert Lekachman (May 12, 1920 – January 14, 1989) was an American progressive economist and academic noted for his interest in social justice. He was noted for his interpretation of John Maynard Keynes's General Theory, a topic of several of his books.

Early life Lekachman was born on May 12, 1920, in New York City. He received his A.B. from Columbia College in 1942. While there, he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and the Philolexian Society.

When Lekachman returned from World War II, he entered into business but found that he lacked an aptitude for it. He enrolled in graduate school, receiving a Ph.D. from Columbia University. His studies of Karl Marx and John Maynard Keynes lead him to a belief in promoting social justice along with economic growth. Both books were used as college textbooks and were published in several languages. A History of Economic Ideas. New York: Harper, 1959. The Churches and the Public. Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, 1960 The Varieties of Economics, vol. 2. Cleveland: World Pub Co, 1962. Keynes and the Classics. Boston (Oregon State monographs. Studies in Economics). Boston: Heath, 1964 The Age of Keynes. New York: Vintage Books, 1966, Greed Is Not Enough: Reaganomics. Pantheon, 1982, Visions and Nightmares: America after Reagan. New York: Macmillan, 1987,

Children's books Capitalism for Beginners. Illustrated by Borin Van Loon. Pantheon, 1981,

Journal articles "The Cult of Novelty." Challenge 8, no. 7 (April 1960 ): 7–11 "National Goals from Left to Right:".Challenge vol. 10, no. 2 (1961): 10–13 "Automation Is Nothing New." Challenge 11, no. 7 (April 1963): 14–16 "What the Steel Settlement Means." Challenge 14, no. 2 (November/December 1965): 8–11 "Law and Economics." Journal of Economic Issues 4, no. 2/3 (June 1970): 25–39 "Academic Wisdom and Union Reality." The American Economic Review 62, no. 1/2 (March 1972): 142–48 "The Inevitability of Controls." Challenge 17, no. 5 (November/December 1974): 6–8 "Managing Inflation in a Full Employment Society." The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 418 (March 1975): 85–93 "On Economic Equality." Signs 1, no. 1 (Autumn 1975): 93–102 "How the Rich Can Help the Poor." Challenge 20, no. 4 (September/October 1977): 48–52 "Proposition 13 and the New Conservatism." Change 10, no. 8 (September 1978): 22–27 "Up Agen Middle-Class Morality." The Hastings Center Report 13, no. 1 (1983): 13–14 "SuperStock: A Conservative Alternative to the Welfare State." Journal of Post Keynesian Economics 7, no. 3 (Spring 1985): 440–42 "America' s Morning After Reagan." with Richard D. Bartel. Challenge 30, no. 1 (March/April 1987): 34–44

Editor Keynes's General Theory: Reports of Three Decades. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1964 Development and Society: The Dynamics of Economic Change. with David E. Novack, 1964