David Ricardo’s Agrarian Rent Theory and Modern Times
This paper influence of David Ricardo’s «The Principles of Political Economy and Taxation» on development of the theory of an agrarian rent is considered. It is shown that in a research of institute of an agrarian rent he aspired to reveal borders of use of the principle of labor value. The all-methodological importance of the Ricardian concept of an agrarian rent is revealed. In the wording of the rent theory D. Ricardo used in fact the method of marginal analysis. The speculative character of Ricardian model promoted further distribution of the rent principle on all productive factors. Therefore it is possible to assume that its concept of a rent was a theoretical and methodological prerequisite of formation J.B. Clark’s theory of marginal productivity. The Ricardian understanding of a phenomenon of «nominal value» is not only the fact of history of economic science; - it is relevant also for modern science so far as the discussion about the nature of false social value and its ratio with the maintenance of the rent continues. Special attention was paid to value of the Ricardian theory of an agrarian rent for economic science and agrarian policy of modern Russia. It is shown that the Ricardian scheme of formation of a rent can be used for an explanation of changing its size depending on degree of openness of national economy and, first of all, the national agro-industrial sector. Exactly excess openness of economy of Russia and its food market created a situation of decrease in profitability and the actual disappearance an agrarian rent in many regions. It led, on the one hand, to reduction of agrarian production, and, with another, - to the compelled reformatting of branch structure of an agrarian and industrial complex in modern Russia. Besides, raised, owing to excess openness, the level of the external economic competition led to increase in efficiency of the survivors in agrarian sector. Decrease in level of openness of the food market after the situation of sanctions in compliance with the Ricardian concept led to shift in the price level, profitability and the size of an agrarian rent. And it provided the accelerated import substitution in the food market, steady growth of agrarian and industrial complex, increased food security of the country.