
Economics Evolving
A History of Economic Thought
Agnar Sandmo(Author)
Princeton University Press
1st Edition
Published on 17. January 2011
Book
Hardback
504 pages
978-0-691-14063-6 (ISBN)
Description
In clear, nontechnical language, this introductory textbook 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 economics, from Smith, Thomas Robert Malthus, David Ricardo, John Stuart Mill, and Karl Marx in the classical period to John Maynard Keynes and the leading economists of the postwar era, such as John Hicks, Milton Friedman, and Paul Samuelson. It describes the development of theories concerning prices and markets, money and the price level, population and capital accumulation, and the choice between socialism and the market economy. The book examines how important economists have reflected on the sometimes conflicting goals of efficient resource use and socially acceptable income distribution. It also provides sketches of the lives and times of the major economists. "Economics Evolving" repeatedly shows how apparently simple ideas that are now taken for granted were at one time at the cutting edge of economics research.
For example, the demand curve that today's students probably get to know during their first economics lecture was originally drawn by one of the most innovative theorists in the history of the subject. The book demonstrates not only how the study of economics has progressed over the course of its history, but also that it is still a developing science.
For example, the demand curve that today's students probably get to know during their first economics lecture was originally drawn by one of the most innovative theorists in the history of the subject. The book demonstrates not only how the study of economics has progressed over the course of its history, but also that it is still a developing science.
Reviews / Votes
Economics Evolving (excellent title) is an enjoyable and detailed presentation of the history of our profession. The focus is on the thoughts of individuals and, while schools of thought are broached, they are not central to the presentation. Historical background is presented and considered, but it is the development of economic thoughts that are at the heart of this analysis. -- John J. Bethune EH.Net In non-technical language, he analyses how these great thinkers developed their theories, making for an essential guide to the great economic thinkers of the past 200-odd years. EconomistMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New Jersey
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
14 line illus. 2 tables.
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
822 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-691-14063-6 (9780691140636)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
01/2011
1st Edition
Princeton University Press
€37.50
Shipment within 10-20 days
Person
Agnar Sandmo is professor emeritus of economics at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration. He is the author of "The Public Economics of the Environment".
Content
Preface vii Chapter 1: A Science and Its History 1 Chapter 2: Before Adam Smith 15 Chapter 3: Adam Smith 32 Chapter 4: The Classical School: Thomas Robert Malthusand David Ricardo 60 Chapter 5: Consolidation and Innovation: John Stuart Mill 89 Chapter 6: Karl Marx as an Economic Theorist 115 Chapter 7: The Forerunners of Marginalism 138 Chapter 8: The Marginalist Revolution I:William Stanley Jevons and Carl Menger 166 Chapter 9: The Marginalist Revolution II: L?on Walras 190 Chapter 10: Alfred Marshall and Partial Equilibrium Theory 213 Chapter 11: Equilibrium and Welfare: Edgeworth,Pareto, and Pigou 238 Chapter 12: Interest and Prices: Knut Wicksell and Irving Fisher 267 Chapter 13: New Perspectives on Markets and Competition 294 Chapter 14: The Great Systems Debate 318 Chapter 15: John Maynard Keynes and the Keynesian Revolution 339 Chapter 16: Frisch, Haavelmo, and the Birth of Econometrics 367 Chapter 17: The Modernization of EconomicTheory in the Postwar Period 391 Chapter 18: Further Developments in the Postwar Period 416 Chapter 19: Long-term Trends and New Perspectives 440 References 467 Index 485