Toward an Inframarginal Revolution : Redistributing the Gains from Trade

This book makes the case that radical wealth redistribution can be carried out without preventing consumers from buying the products they wish to buy or otherwise reducing the efficiency of the economy. It is ideal for lawyers, economists, and other readers looking to intervene in the market to redistribute wealth.

Over the past fifteen years, there has been a growing interest in altering legal rules to redistribute wealth, with many scholars believing that neoclassical economic theory is biased against redistribution. Yet a growing number of progressive scholars are pushing back against this view. Toward an Inframarginal Revolution offers a fresh perspective on the redistribution of wealth by legal scholars who argue that the neoclassical concept of the gains from trade provides broad latitude for redistribution that will not harm efficiency. They show how policymakers can redistribute wealth via taxation, price regulation, antitrust, consumer law, and contract law by focusing on the prices at which inframarginal units of production change hands. Progressive and eye-opening, this volume uses conservative economic concepts to make a compelling case for radically redistributing wealth. This title is part of the Flip it Open Programme and may also be available open access. Check our website Cambridge Core for details.