In early

political economy Political or comparative economy is a branch of political science and economics studying economic systems (e.g. Marketplace, markets and national economies) and their governance by political systems (e.g. law, institutions, and government). Wi ...

, intrinsic or objective theories of value were a set of early theories of value holding that the value of an item is an objective property of the item itself. It has since been superseded in economics by the

subjective theory of value The subjective theory of value (STV) is an theory of value (economics), economic theory for explaining how the value of goods and services are not only set but also how they can fluctuate over time. The contrasting system is typically known as the ...

, which recognizes value as a property that is ascribed to items by a person; as a result, the value of an item to someone can vary depending on personal tastes and preferences. Most such theories look to the process of producing an item, and the

costs Cost is the value of money that has been used up to produce something or deliver a service, and hence is not available for use anymore. In business, the cost may be one of acquisition, in which case the amount of money expended to acquire it is ...

resource ''Resource'' refers to all the materials available in our environment which are Technology, technologically accessible, Economics, economically feasible and Culture, culturally Sustainability, sustainable and help us to satisfy our needs and want ...

s involved in that process, to identify the item's intrinsic value. The

labour theory of value The labor theory of value (LTV) is a theory of value that argues that the exchange value of a good or service is determined by the total amount of " socially necessary labor" required to produce it. The contrasting system is typically known as ...

is an early example of an intrinsic theory, which was originally proposed by

Adam Smith Adam Smith (baptised 1723 – 17 July 1790) was a Scottish economist and philosopher who was a pioneer in the field of political economy and key figure during the Scottish Enlightenment. Seen by some as the "father of economics"——— or ...

and further developed by

David Ricardo David Ricardo (18 April 1772 – 11 September 1823) was a British political economist, politician, and member of Parliament. He is recognized as one of the most influential classical economists, alongside figures such as Thomas Malthus, Ada ...

and

Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

. Similarly, the physiocrats based their theory of value in the land.

References

* Theory of value (economics) {{Econ-theory-stub

See also

References