The aim of this paper is to systematically enquire into the relationship Robbins sets in his writings - prior to the Essay and further brought out in several subsequent works - between 'economic science' and 'political economy' in order to understand the role of each in the work of the...

When Robbins' Essay on the Nature and Significance of Economic Science was first published, it was mostly criticized for depriving economists of an important professional market (policy advice) and for detaching economics from policy considerations. Most critics considered Robbins' Essay as the...