Robinson, Joan

Robinson, Joan (Violet)

 orig. Joan (Violet) Maurice

(born Oct. 31, 1903, Camberley, Surrey, Eng.—died Aug. 5, 1983, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire) British economist. A professor at the University of Cambridge (1931–71), she helped develop Keynesian theory, establishing her reputation in 1933 with The Economics of Imperfect Competition, in which she analyzed distribution and allocation, dealing particularly with the concept of exploitation (see monopolistic competition). In the 1940s she began to incorporate aspects of Marxism into her work. Her unorthodox views and sympathy with noncapitalist systems—including China's, on which she wrote three books—involved her in controversy throughout her career.