This study re-examines the economic thought of John
R. Commons (1862-1945). Commons was a leading
Progressive Era
American economist based primarily at the University
of Wisconsin. He
was active in the La Follette administration in
Wisconsin and drafted
that State's Civil Service law (which became the
basis of Federal law),
created the Industrial Commission law, and the Public
Utility Act -- the
cornerstones of progressive era legislation. In
addition he is commonly
regarded as a founder of the American "Institutional"
school of
economic thought. Toward this end this work attempts
to first,
organize Commons' economic system into a
workable framework, second, reconcile Commons' value
conception with those of other founding authors in
the original institutional tradition, and third, to
show the linkages between Commons' thought and the
research agenda of the newer institutional school.