This book outlines the development of the theory of exchange, paying particular attention to formal models produced during the last half of the 19th century. This is achieved in two ways, by providing an introductory survey of the development of the theory and by reproducing extracts from some...

Arising from a disenchantment with mainstream economics – a dissatisfaction that is widespread today – A Short History of Ethics and Economics sketches the emergence and decline of the ethical tradition of economics and the crisis of modern economics. In doing so, James Alvey focuses on four...

A feature of the new consumer societies which has emerged in more recent years has been the growing economic and social importance of conspicuous consumption. Status-directed consumer demand, stimulated and promoted by the supply of products and services marketed as symbols of social identity...

The Political Economy of Trade and Growth provides the basis for a major re-evaluation of Sir James Steuart’s contribution to modern economics through a rigorous analysis of his most important work.

This insightful book critically assesses the subjectivist metatheoretical origins of the revival of modern Austrian economics. It examines the ideas of the main contributors to the Austrian school, including von Mises, von Hayek and Lachmann.

Adam Smith into the Twenty-First Century examines how Smith’s deliberations on constitutional economics can now be tested by current empirical work in the social sciences. Edwin West shows how Smith’s scepticism about the proposition that democracy is conducive to economic growth is...

Controversies in Monetary Economics combines an explanation of past monetary controversies with practical proposals for the conduct of monetary policy in the contemporary global economy. Several alternative approaches to monetary economics are discussed, ranging from the traditional quantity...

Perspectives on the History of Economic Thought illustrates the administrative aspects that are an on-going component of most economic theory. It demonstrates that before the birth of political economy as a formal discipline, public and private administrators were formulating theories about...

This title focuses on the importance of the history of economic thought as an intellectual discipline. It counters the arguments of some contemporary economists who describe it as studying the mistakes of the past. However, all the great economists – Smith, Ricardo, Marx, Marshall, Keynes...