Kozo Uno (宇野 弘蔵, Uno Kōzō, November 12, 1897 – February 22, 1977) was a Japanese economist and is considered one of the most important theorists on the field of Marx's theory of value.
He is an influential Marxist economist in Japan, where his school of thought is called the Uno School (Uno gakuha) . His main work Principles of Economics [経済原論] was published in 1950-52. Among his scholars are Thomas T. Sekine and Makoto Itoh.
Thought
Uno based his work on a rigorously Hegelian reading of Marx's Capital. This led him to his well-known conclusion that Marxian analysis had to be conducted at three separate levels:
Theory of Principles [原理論]: The "pure" theory of Capital, freed from the complications of history – highly abstract exercises in dialectical logic on the basic, core dynamics of capitalist economy.
Theory of Stages [段階論]: A "middle" level, which traces the general development of capitalism through distinct historical stages – mercantilism, classical liberalism and so on.
Analysis of the Present [現状分析]: The analysis of the 'messy' details of capitalist economy in the real world, concentrating on particular narratives rather than an overall picture.[1]
Uno and his followers have come in for criticism from the wider Marxist tradition for insisting on this separation. Simon Clarke[2] sees this schema as "scholastic formalism", and the second level as an arbitrary addition to provide a link between the other two, rather than an analytically necessary one. As Kincaid[2] points out, though, Capital is primarily a logically rather than chronologically argued work, which looks at the laws of capitalist development and draws mainly supporting evidence from historical data. Thus, the separation of the Uno school represents an acknowledgement of this logical nature, and registers the key problem of how the critique can be linked to actual economic development in a way that competing schools often cannot.
Resigns from the Ōhara Institute for Social Research
Enrolls at the University of Berlin and attends a few lectures by Werner Sombart, Hermann Schumacher, Ernst Wagemann, Heinrich Cunow and Gustav Mayer, but does not study under anyone and mainly studies by himself
September — Returns to Japan; brings back Hilferding's Finance Capital and studies it
October — Appointed as an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law and Literature, Tohoku Imperial University [東北帝国大学法文学部]
1925
September — Becomes responsible for the Economics III module (Theory of Economy Policy) [経済学第三講座 (経済政策論)] at Tohoku Imperial University
1930
June — Debut article 'The Necessity of Money: Hilferding's Monetary Theory Reconsidered' [貨幣の必然性——ヒルファディングの貨幣理論再考察] published in the journal Shakai Kagaku [社会科学]
1938
February — Arrested in Sendai in connection with the so-called Rōnōha Professors Incident [労農派教授グループ事件] and remains in custody until May
December — Indicted under the National Security Law [治安維持法] and ordered to take a leave of absence
1939
October — Ruled not guilty in the first hearing at the Sendai District Court
1940
December — Ruled not guilty in the second hearing at the Miyagi Court of Appeal
1941
January — Reinstatement is approved by the Committee of Professors [教授会] of the Faculty of Law and Literature, Tohoku Imperial University, but declines and resigns
March — Employed at the Institute for Japanese Trade at the Japan Trade Promotion Association [財団法人日本貿易振興協会日本貿易研究所]
1944
June — Resigns from the Institute for Japanese Trade at the Japan Trade Promotion Association
July — Employed at the Mitsubishi Economic Research Institute [財団法人三菱経済研究所]
January — Resigns from the Mitsubishi Economic Research Institute and becomes a non-regular employee [嘱託] at the Institute of Social Science, Tokyo Imperial University [東京帝国大学社会科学研究所]
June — Appointed as a Professor at Tokyo Imperial University and employed at their Institute of Social Science
1949
June — Appointed as the Director [所長] of the Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo
1952
February — Resigns as Director from the Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo
1953
January — Becomes a Secretary [理事] of the Institute of Statistical Research [財団法人統計研究会]
May — Given a role at the Social Science section at the Graduate School of the University of Tokyo [東京大学大学院社会科学研究科] and becomes responsible for their theoretical economics and history of economics courses [理論経済学・経済史学専門課程]
1954
December — Receives a doctorate in economics
1958
March — Resigns from the University of Tokyo after reaching their mandatory retirement age
April — Appointed as a Professor at the Department of Sociology, Hosei University
Economics Seminar, Vol. 2: Issues in the Theory of Value [経済学ゼミナール2 価値論の問題点] (Hōsei Daigaku Shuppankai [法政大学出版会], 1963).
Economics Seminar, Vol. 3: Problems of the Theory of Crisis and the Theory of Commercial Profit [経済学ゼミナール3 恐慌論・商業利潤論の諸問題] (Hōsei Daigaku Shuppankai [法政大学出版会], 1963).
Principles of Economics [経済原論] (Iwanami Zensho [岩波全書], 1964; reprinted in SW2; reprinted Iwanami Bunko [岩波文庫], 2016).
The abridged but revised edition of the 1950-52 Principles of Economics.
Fundamental Problems of Social Science [社会科学の根本問題] (Aoki Shoten [青木書店], 1966; reprinted in SW9-10).
Discussion on Economics [経済学を語る] (Tokyo Daigaku Shuppankai [東京大学出版会], 1967).
Economics as Social Science [社会科学としての経済学] (Chikuma Shobō [筑摩書房], 1969; most of it reprinted in SW9-10; reprinted Chikuma Gakugei Bunko [ちくま学芸文庫], 2016).
Problems of Marxist Economics [マルクス経済学の諸問題] (Iwanami Shoten [岩波書店], 1969; Part 1 reprinted in SW4, Part 2 in SW10).
Economic Theory ofCapital [資本論の経済学] (Iwanami Shinsho [岩波新書], 1969; reprinted in SW6).
Fifty Years withCapital [資本論五十年] (Hōsei Daigaku Shuppankai [法政大学出版会], 1970–73).
Published in 2 volumes. In interviews, Uno details his intellectual biography.
Theory of Economic Policy [経済政策論] (Kōbundō [弘文堂], 1971; reprinted in SW7).
The revised edition of the 1936 Theory of Economic Policy.
Utility of Economics [経済学の効用] (Tokyo Daigaku Shuppankai [東京大学出版会], 1972).
Selected Works of Uno Kōzō [宇野弘蔵著作集] (Iwanami Shoten [岩波書店], 1973–74).
CapitalStudies: Commodity and Process of Exchange [資本論研究——商品及交換過程] (Kawade Shobō [河出書房], 1948).
CapitalStudies: Process of Distribution [資本論研究——流通過程] (Kawade Shobō [河出書房], 1949).
Studies on Marxist Economics: Festschrift for Prof. Ōuchi Hyōe on the Occasion of His Sixtieth Birthday, Vol. 1 [マルクス経済学の研究——大内兵衛先生還暦記念論文集（上）] (Iwanami Shoten [岩波書店], 1953).
The World Economy and the Japanese Economy: Festschrift for Prof. Ōuchi Hyōe on the Occasion of His Sixtieth Birthday, Vol. 2 [世界経済と日本経済——大内兵衛先生還暦記念論文集（下）] (Iwanami Shoten [岩波書店], 1956).
Japanese Capitalism and Agriculture [日本資本主義と農業] (Iwanami Shoten [岩波書店], 1959).
Principles of Political Economy: Theory of a Purely Capitalist Society, trans. Thomas T. Sekine (Brighton: The Harvester Press, 1980).
Translation of the abridged 1964 Iwanami Zensho edition of Principles of Economics.
The Types of Economic Policies under Capitalism, trans. Thomas T. Sekine, ed. John R. Bell (Leiden: Brill, 2016).
Translation of the 1971 edition of Theory of Economic Policy.
Theory of Crisis, trans. Ken C. Kawashima (Leiden: Brill, 2020).
Bibliography
Books
Joe, Hyeon-soo (1995). Politische Ökonomie als Gesellschaftstheorie. Studien zur Marx-Rezeption von Isaak Iljitsch Rubin und Kozo Uno (in German). Marburg: Diss. Philipps-Universität.
Sekine, Thomas T. (1975). "Uno-Riron: A Japanese Contribution to Marxian Political Economy". Journal of Economic Literature. 13: 847–877. doi:10.4444/34.100.
Verified, continuously updated selected bibliography with links and materials. (Broken link. See partial fix for same link at end of page for Isaak Rubin. Also check for other pages re value form school likely to need same fix)
