This note discusses the numerical examples of land saving and capital saving agricultural improvements Ricardo provided in the chapter on the rent of land in the Principles. Especially his illustration of the second kind of improvements met with fierce criticism. It is argued that Ricardo was...

This thought-provoking book discusses the concept of progress in economics and investigates whether any advance has been made in its different spheres of research. The authors look back at the history, successes and failures of their respective fields and thoroughly examine the notion of...