Book Description

The core of classical economic analysis represented by William Petty and Adam Smith concentrated on the field of development economics. This classical footing of the study of development is different from the neoclassical perspective in two important respects: (a) it focuses on division of labor as the driving force of development, and (b) it emphasizes the role of the market (the "invisible hand") in exploiting productivity gains that are derived from division of labor. However these aspects have received little attention in the body of literature that represents the modern field of development economics - which largely represents the neoclassical application of marginalism. A notable exception is research that utilizes inframarginal analysis of individuals' networking decisions in an attempt to formalize the classical mechanisms that drive division of labour. This book is a first attempt to collect relevant key contributions and will be invaluable to active researchers in the field of development economics. Contents: The Origins of Inframarginal Applications to the Study of Economic Development; Development Strategies, Income Distribution, and Dual Structures; Urbanization; Entrepreneurship and the Firm; Endogenous Transaction Costs andProperty Rights; Investment, Endogenous Growth, and Social Experiments; Infrastructure, Labor Surplus, Insurance, and the Trade-Off Between Leisure and Income. Key Features An excellent introduction to the emerging field of inframarginal economics A novel collection of key contributions in the field of inframarginal development economics Provides an evolutionary perspective of the study of economic development Readership: Academic economists.