Crisis, Distribution and the Role of Effective Demand According to Malthus
In this work, Malthus is recognized as the true discoverer of the idea of effective demand. The power to produce and the power to consume represent the principles of the Malthusian concept of effective demand which, within the capitalist logic of unequal exchange, becomes the limit within which the mechanism of accumulation can operate. However, this mechanism cannot be left to operate spontaneously, nor can it be manipulated without running the risk of destroying it. Effective demand is assigned the role of major determinant of the price level and, therefore, of distribution and development.
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Article’s history: Received 25th of January, 2026; Revised 12th of February, 2026; Accepted 8th of March, 2026; Available online: 30th of March, 2026. Published as article in the Volume XXI, Spring, Issue 2(92), March, 2026.
Morselli A. (2026). Morselli A. (2026). Crisis, Distribution and the Role of Effective Demand According to Malthus. Journal of Applied Economic Sciences, Volume XXI, Spring, 2(92), 393 – 411. https://doi.org/10.57017/jaes.v21.2(92).01
Acknowledgements: N/A
Conflict of Interest Statement: The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Data Availability Statement: This study is based exclusively on published academic literature and historical economic texts. No new datasets were generated or analysed during the current study. All sources used are fully cited in the reference list.
Ethical Approval Statement: This research does not involve human participants, personal data, or experimental procedures. Therefore, ethical approval was not required. The study was conducted in accordance with standard academic research and publication ethics.
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