Economic Development and Social Change

by Yiorgos Stathakis (Editor), Gianni Vaggi (Editor)

Overview

Some of the greatest thinkers in the history of economic thought have been instrumental in advancing the study of development economics. In this volume, leading scholars are brought together to illuminate this tradition, with particular emphasis on the question of growth and development.

Divided into two parts, this collection offers a blend of papers of history of economic thought and development economics, and suggests that classical political economy - that strand of thought which goes from Physiocracy to Smith and to Ricardo and Marx - has a precise vision and indeed a precise model of long term development. This book:

• examines the influence that has been exerted by both pre-classical and classical thought on modern day development economics
• provides a synthetic analysis of the classical vision of growth and development from the mercantilist era to physiocracy
• examines Adam Smith’s contribution to growth theory
• explores Marxian thinking and ideas, and the political developments that gave rise to state functions in post-war theory.

Including contributions by well known authors such as Eltis, Murphy and Kurz, this significant volume by one of the premier historians of economic thought will be a valuable resource for postgraduates and professionals in the fields of economic history and political economy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415334686
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/11/2006
Series:	Routledge Studies in the History of Economics
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

About the Author

Yiorgos Stathakis is at the Department of Economics, University of Crete, Rethymno, Greece and Gianni Vaggi is at the Facoltà di Economia, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Italy.

Table of Contents

Introduction. Economic Development and Social Change; The Classical View and the Moderns Part 1: Development Theory: Classical and Modern Perspectives 1. Half a Century of Development Theories: An Institutionalist Survey 2. Comparative Development and Institutional Change 3. Increasing Returns and the Division of Labour in the Theory of Economic Development 4. Endogenous Growth in a Stylised 'Classical' Model 5. Aspects of German Monetary and Development Economics and their Reception in Japan 6. The Notion of the Constant Wage Share in Income Distribution Theories Part 2: Economic Development and Social Change: Some Themes From Pre-Classical and Classical Thinking 7. Nicolas Du Tot and John Law 8. Genesis of Hume’s Political Economy of ‘Manners’ 9. The French Debate on the Morality and the Political Economy of Luxury: From Boisguilbert to Quesnay 10. French Political Economy, Industrialism and Social Change (1815-1830) 11. Sloth and Greed: Mercantilist and Classical Views on Human Nature and Economic Development 12. The Two Paths of Economic Development in Adam Smith’s Thought 13. Ricardo, Machinery, and Comparative Advantage