Ricardo’s Labor Theory of Value
Ricardo’s theory of value focuses on determining the exchange value of a commodity by evaluating the current and past labour employed in the production of the commodity. The theory determines the past labor by analyzing the cost of capital, which entails aspects such as the value of tools, equipment, implements, and buildings involved in creating a commodity while the current labor entails the quantity of skills input in the production of raw materials. For example, changes in the exchange rate of a beaver for a deer over time to a tune of one beaver for five deer would mean that the labor input in catching a beaver has increased significantly compared to the labor invested in harvesting a deer. Ricardo’s theory shifts away from the analysis of the fair and equitable value (price) of a commodity to the determination of the quantity of a good or service that the commodity Continue reading