Aportes a la solución del problema de la transformación de los valores en precios de producción. ¿Fin de la controversia a partir de la solución macro monetaria?

Abstract

The problem of the transformation of values into production prices was discovered and considered, for the first time in economic history, by David Ricardo, who failed to understand and explain the contradiction between the law of labor value and the obtaining of equal profits for equal capitals, regardless of the amount of labor employed. The law of labor value establishes that only human labor generates value, and the law of the equalization of profits establishes that capitals of the same size should receive the same amount of profits (since profits are distributed according to the amount of capital invested, regardless of its composition). The incompatibility between the two laws arises from the moment an attempt is made to distribute the surplus (profit, surplus value) among different capitalists. The difference in the composition of each individual capital with respect to the average composition makes it impossible for the surplus to be returned in the same proportion as it was generated individually. This generates a deviation between the values and prices of commodities at the individual level, given that some capitals will receive more and others less surplus (profit, surplus value) than what "corresponded" to them based on what was created during the production process. Ricardo's concern with resolving this contradiction was so great that it led him to think and suggest that the means of production also generated value, when he revised his own work and added the famous chapter "On Machinery." Karl Marx inherited this concern from Ricardo, managed to understand it, and offered an explanation. Marx gave greater dimension to the issue itself and established the categories of value that, on the one hand, shape the problem of transformation and, on the other, delimit it. The solution offered by Marx was not satisfactory, but it sparked a much more intense debate. Since then, a multitude of authors have addressed the topic. The following pages develop the formal aspects of this work. First, the object and methodology of the research are presented. Second, an introductory historical framework for commodity production, wealth, and value is described. Third, important clarifications are highlighted. Fourth, a summary of the chapters is presented.