Assembling contributions from top thinkers in the field, thiscompanion offers a comprehensive and sophisticated exploration ofthe history of economic thought. The volume has a threefold focus:the history of economic thought, the history of economics as adiscipline, and the historiography of economic thought. Provides sophisticated introductions to a vast array oftopics. Focuses on a unique range of topics, including the history ofeconomic thought, the history of the discipline of economics, andthe historiography of economic thought.
In this concise yet comprehensive history, Heinz D. Kurz traces the long arc of economic thought from its emergence in ancient Greece to its systematic presentation among the classical thinkers of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries to the influential work of scholars such as Paul Samuelson and Kenneth J. Arrow. With a keen eye for how economic insights are acquired, lost, and reborn, Kurz focuses on the dynamic individuals who give old ideas new life and the historical events that provoke different approaches and theories. Over the course of this journey, Kurz explains what Adam Smith meant by the "invisible hand"; how Karl Marx's "law of motion" works in capitalist economies; the roots of the Austrian economists' emphasis on the problems of information, incomplete knowledge, and uncertainty; John Maynard Keynes's principle of effective demand and economic stabilization; and the insights and challenges offered by growth theory, welfare economics, game theory, and more. He concludes with a deft summation of world economists' major concerns today and their critical relation to world events.
This book, now in its third edition, provides an elementary introduction to the history of economic thought. A chapter is devoted to each of the major developments in the history of the discipline, before a concluding chapter in which the authors draw together some of the key strands and comment on some major works and textbooks in the history of economic ideas. They also reflect on the changes in economic thinking within the general context of the philosophy of science. This new edition continues to offer the clear and concise coverage of the main schools of thought and paradigm shifts in the field that has become the volume’s trademark. The book has been thoroughly updated throughout in order to reflect changes in the landscape of the field. Details on key thinkers, and aspects of the story such as the evolution of scholarship on growth and development, have been added or expanded, whilst not compromising on the book’s concise approach. Key updates include: Biographical- and bibliographical information is brought up to date throughout the text North American economists John Kenneth Galbraith and Kenneth Ewart Boulding make their first appearance in this edition Information on developments in institutional economics, addressing in particular the works of 2009 Nobel prize winner Elinor Ostrom). This book has become well known for its innovative coverage of the economic thinking of mainland Europe, whilst also addressing Anglo-American trends. It provides a short and highly readable overview of the evolution of economic thought, usable in courses where the history of economic thought constitutes only a small part or required background reading. It continues to be an extremely useful, much needed text for all introductory economics courses in the field.
This is the first study of the development of economic thought in Latin America. It traces the development of economic ideas during five centuries and across the whole continent. It addresses a wide range of approaches to economic issues including: * the scholastic tradition in Latin American economies * the quantity theory of money * cameralism * human captal theory.
The Role of Government in the History of Economic Thought examines a controversial area of economic analysis: the appropriate role of government within the economic system. If the first two-thirds of the twentieth century were dominated by the active involvement of economists in government policymaking, blurring the lines between the spheres of economics and politics, then the last several decades have witnessed something of a reversion to the classical economics of Adam Smith and John Stuart Mill. This volume offers a comprehensive and integrated history of the evolution of the relationship between governments and economies, examining the British classical tradition, the American progressive movement, and corporatist ideology.
Women are vital members of the economics profession, yet they have traditionally received scant recognition for their work. This volume provides information on 51 remarkable women in the profession. They come from all areas of economics-academia, the business world, public policy-and include those who are currently active as well as 19th-century pioneers in the field. Entries cover biographical information, as well as the subjects' work, providing a unique guide to the many and varied contributions these women have made to economics. Joan Robinson was one of the most significant economists of the 20th century. Juanita Morris Kreps was Secretary of Commerce under Jimmy Carter. And forecasting guru Abbey Joseph Cohen appears regularly on PBS, CNN, and CNBC. Women are vital members of the economics profession, yet they have traditionally received scant recognition for their work. This volume provides information on 51 remarkable women in the profession. They come from all areas of economics-academia, the business world, public policy-and include those who are currently active as well as 19th-century pioneers in the field. Entries cover biographical information, as well as the subjects' work, providing a unique guide to the many and varied contributions these women have made to economics. Seeking to provide balanced coverage, this book covers accomplished and emerging economists, living and deceased individuals, and women from all philosophical perspectives and economic areas. Some have worked in several areas. Kathleen Bell Cooper, for instance, was Chief Economist at Exxon Corporation and is now Under Secretary of Commerce for Economic Affairs, while Marina Whitman, now with the University of Michigan Business School, was a senior executive with General Motors and the first woman appointed to the President's Council of Economic Advisors. Others have spent their career in academia. All have been prolific writers, as their entries document, and all made their mark on economics. This book is a testament to their achievements.
This book describes the history of economic thought, focusing on the development of economic theory from Adam Smith's 'Wealth of Nations' to the late twentieth century. The text concentrates on the most important figures in the history of the economics. The book examines how important economists have reflected on the sometimes conflicting goals of efficient resource use and socially acceptable income distribution.--[book cover].
The new edition of this classroom classic retains the organizing theme of the original text, presenting the development of thought within the context of economic history. Economic ideas are framed in terms of the spheres of production and circulation, with a critical analysis of how past theorists presented their ideas.
Following an introduction to the key ideas of Coats, this work focuses on two themes: the difference between British and American economics, both in content and in the practice of the profession; and the interrelationships between economic ideas, events (or conditions) and policy issues.
Featuring original contributions from some of the leading contemporary figures in the history of economic thought, this book offers new perspectives on key topics, from Smith's Wealth of Nations to the Jevonian Revolution. Drawing inspiration from the life and work of R.D.C. Black, formerly Professor of Economics at Queen's University Belfast, this book will be of essential interest to any serious scholar of economic thought.
