# Piero Sraffa

> Italian economist (1898–1983)

**Wikidata**: [Q370468](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q370468)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piero_Sraffa)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/piero-sraffa

## Summary
Piero Sraffa was an Italian economist (1898–1983) known for his influential work in economic theory, particularly his critique of neoclassical economics and his contributions to the Cambridge capital controversy. He was a close associate of Antonio Gramsci and edited Gramsci's Prison Notebooks.

## Biography
- Born: August 5, 1898
- Nationality: Italian
- Education: University of Turin, London School of Economics
- Known for: Production of Commodities by Means of Commodities, critique of marginal productivity theory
- Employer(s): University of Cambridge
- Field(s): Economics

## Contributions
Sraffa's most significant contribution was his 1960 book "Production of Commodities by Means of Commodities: Prelude to a Critique of Economic Theory," which introduced the Sraffa system and challenged neoclassical theories of value and distribution. He also edited and translated Antonio Gramsci's Prison Notebooks, preserving and disseminating Gramsci's important political and philosophical work. His critique of Marshallian partial equilibrium theory and marginal productivity theory helped spark the Cambridge capital controversy.

## FAQs
**What is Piero Sraffa known for?**
Sraffa is known for his book "Production of Commodities by Means of Commodities" and his critique of neoclassical economics, particularly marginal productivity theory.

**Where did Piero Sraffa work?**
Sraffa was a lecturer at the University of Cambridge, where he spent most of his academic career.

**What was Sraffa's relationship with Antonio Gramsci?**
Sraffa was a close friend of Antonio Gramsci and edited and translated Gramsci's Prison Notebooks after Gramsci's death.

**What is the Cambridge capital controversy?**
The Cambridge capital controversy was a debate about the nature and role of capital goods in economic theory, in which Sraffa's work played a central role.

## Why They Matter
Sraffa's work fundamentally challenged the foundations of neoclassical economics, particularly its treatment of capital and distribution. His production of commodities model provided an alternative framework for understanding value and distribution that influenced generations of economists, particularly those associated with post-Keynesian and neo-Ricardian economics. His preservation and editing of Gramsci's Prison Notebooks also made a crucial contribution to political theory and philosophy.

## Notable For
- Author of "Production of Commodities by Means of Commodities" (1960)
- Key figure in the Cambridge capital controversy
- Editor and translator of Antonio Gramsci's Prison Notebooks
- Critic of neoclassical marginal productivity theory
- Developed the Sraffa system of price equations

## Body
### Early Life and Education
Piero Sraffa was born on August 5, 1898, in Turin, Italy. He studied at the University of Turin, where he was influenced by the economist Luigi Einaudi. He later attended the London School of Economics, where he studied under Friedrich Hayek and was exposed to different economic traditions.

### Academic Career
Sraffa joined the University of Cambridge as a lecturer in economics, where he spent most of his academic career. At Cambridge, he became part of the "Cambridge Circus," a group of economists that included Joan Robinson, Richard Kahn, and others who were critical of neoclassical economics. He was also a close associate of John Maynard Keynes.

### Major Works
Sraffa's most influential work was "Production of Commodities by Means of Commodities: Prelude to a Critique of Economic Theory," published in 1960. This book presented a system of price equations that showed how relative prices and distribution could be determined without reference to marginal productivity or subjective utility. The book challenged the neoclassical theory of value and distribution and became a cornerstone of the neo-Ricardian school of economics.

### Relationship with Antonio Gramsci
Sraffa was a close friend of Antonio Gramsci, the Italian Marxist philosopher and politician. After Gramsci's death in 1937, Sraffa took responsibility for editing and translating Gramsci's Prison Notebooks, which Gramsci had written while imprisoned by the Italian fascist regime. Sraffa's work in preserving and disseminating Gramsci's ideas was crucial to the development of Western Marxism.

### The Cambridge Capital Controversy
Sraffa's work was central to the Cambridge capital controversy, a debate between economists at Cambridge University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology about the nature and role of capital goods in economic theory. Sraffa's critique of the neoclassical theory of capital, particularly its treatment of capital as a homogeneous factor of production, was a key element in this debate.

### Legacy and Influence
Sraffa's work has had a lasting influence on economics, particularly in the areas of value theory, distribution, and capital theory. His production of commodities model has been influential in post-Keynesian and neo-Ricardian economics. His critique of neoclassical economics has also influenced heterodox approaches to economic theory. Beyond economics, his work in preserving Gramsci's Prison Notebooks has had a significant impact on political theory and philosophy.

## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. BnF authorities
3. PICASSO DOCTEUR MAIS ABSENT. Le Monde. 1972
4. [Source](https://web.archive.org/web/20190827094853/http://www.pantheonsorbonne.fr/universite/actualites/actualite-detaillee/article/les-docteurs-honoris-causa-de-luniversite/)
5. International Standard Name Identifier
6. CiNii Research
7. SNAC
8. Brockhaus Enzyklopädie
9. Croatian Encyclopedia
10. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
11. [Source](http://digitale.beic.it/primo_library/libweb/action/search.do?fn=search&vid=BEIC&vl%283134987UI0%29=creator&vl%28freeText0%29=Sraffa%20Piero)
12. CONOR.SI
13. Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani
14. Treccani's Enciclopedia on line
15. Quora
16. Enciclopedia Treccani
17. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File