ABSTRACT
The applications of the classical approach in a broad sense have been many, starting with the classical authors themselves, and present-day economists often inadvertently use a methodology which is closer to that of the classical than to that of the neoclassical. The revival of the classical approach inaugurated by Piero Sraffa usually is regarded to lead to a theoretical alternative to neoclassical theory. The strength of the classical approach is most visible in dynamic analysis. The applications of the classical approach can be distinguished from other applications of economic theory by the use of the classical method of separating the heterogeneous determinations of outputs and of distribution. The theories of imperfect competition add variety to this simple menu, but, as regards theories of development, of accumulation and distribution, the classical approach is richer in empirical content. Historical applications concern the analysis of technical progress and of different economic systems.
