A Research Annual


Book Description

Contains refereed articles on constrasting relational conceptions of the individual in economics. This book also covers the development of Adam Smith's style of lecturing; a comparison of problems encountered in the historian's work as editor, based upon editing Harrod's papers and Haberler's "Prosperity and Depression".




A History of Italian Economic Thought


Book Description

This book provides the non-Italian scholar with an extensive picture of the development of Italian economics, from the Sixteenth century to the present. The thread of the narrative is the dialectics between economic theory and political action, where the former attempts to enlighten the latter, but at the same time receives from politics the main stimulus to enlarge its field of reflection. This is particularly clear during the Enlightenment. Inside, this book insists on stressing that Galiani, Verri, and Beccaria were economists quite sensitive to practical issues, but who also were willing to attain generally valid conclusions. In this sense, "pure economics" was never performed in Italy. Even Pareto used economics (and sociology) in order to interpret and possibly steer the course of political action. Within this book it illustrates the Restoration period (1815-48). There was a slowdown of the economists' engagement, due to an adverse political situation, that prompted the economists to prefer less dangerous subjects, such as the relationship between economics, morals, and law (the main interpreter of this attitude was Romagnosi). After 1848, however, in parallel with the Risorgimento cultural climate, a new vision of the economists' task was eventually manifested. Between economics and political Liberalism a sort of alliance was established, whose prophet was F. Ferrara. While the Historical school of economics of German origin played a minor role, Pure Economics (1890-1940 approx.) had a considerable success, as regards both economic equilibrium and the theory of public finance. Consequently, the introduction of Keynes's ideas was rather troubled. Instead, Hayek had an immediate success. This book concludes with a chapter devoted to the intense relationships between economic theories, economic programmes and political action after 1945. Here, the Sraffa debate played an important role in stimulating Italian economists to a reflection on the patterns of Italian economy and the possibilities of transforming Italy's economic and social structure.




Maffeo Pantaleoni


Book Description

This collection of papers proposes to trace the professional and personal fortunes of Maffeo Pantaleoni (1857-1924), an eminent and controversial Italian economist from the liberalist culture which in the early twentieth century perceived the shortcomings and dangers of the nascent monopolist concentrations. He was one of the founders of what we can today call the Italian school of economics and finance. These contributions examine his life, thought and works and his reputation since his death. His vital influence on economic history.




Economic Thought and History


Book Description

Economic Thought and History looks at the relationship between facts and thought in historical economic research, viewing it in the context of periods of economic crisis and providing detailed analyses of methods used in determining the bond between economic history and economic theory. This interdisciplinary collection brings together international researchers in the history of economic thought and economic history in order to confront varying approaches to the study of economic facts and ideas, rethinking boundaries, methodologies and the object of their disciplines. The chapters explore the relationship between economic thought and economic theory from a variety of perspectives, exploring the relationship between history and economics, and the boundaries defining the history of economic thought, in terms of both single authors and schools of thought. The book offers particular insights on the Italian tradition of thought. The uniquely interdisciplinary and analytical approach presented here bridges the methodological gap between these disciplines, unearthing a fertile common ground of research. This book is intended for Postgraduate students conducting further research into the field, or for professors and academics of economic history and history of economic thought.




Luigi Amoroso


Book Description

This book outlines the rich and complex path of Luigi Amoroso, the main exponent of the Paretian School in Italy and probably the most important Italian mathematical economist during the interwar period. The author presents, in a systematic form, the evolution of Amoros's thinking and his main achievements. Despite his relevance, many aspects of Amoroso's thought are little known or misunderstood. This volume delves further to explore the Paretian tradition in which Amoroso enlisted, the conservative anti-democratic ideology that prompted his adhesion to fascism, his contribution to defining the main features of economic theory as formal science, and his various contributions to specific fields such as microeconomic theory, equilibrium dynamics, business cycles and non-competitive markets. It will be relevant to students and researchers interested in the history of economic thought.




Impressions of Hume


Book Description

Impressions of Hume presents new essays from leading scholars in different philosophical, historiographical, and literary traditions to which Hume made defining contributions. Hume has made a variety of impressions on these different areas; his writings, philosophical and otherwise, may indeed be read in a number of different ways. For example, they can be taken as transparent vehicles for philosophical intuitions, problems, and arguments that are still at the centre of philosophical reflection today. On the other hand, there are readings which are interested in locating Hume's views against the background of concerns, debates and discussions of Hume's own time. And this is not all. Hume's texts may be read as highly sophisticated literary-cum-philosophical creations: in such cases, the reader's attention tends to be directed at issues of genre and persuasive strategies rather than on argument. Or they may be regarded as moments in the construction of the ideology of modernity, and as contributions to the legitimation of a given social order. As the true classics that they are, Hume's works are typical 'open texts', which present their readers of all provenances with a bounty of materials and inspirations. It is the editors' conviction that the borders between these approaches are far from neat; and that as much cross-fertilization as possible is to be promoted. Impressions of Hume amply demonstrates the rewards of such an approach.




Economics of Art Auctions


Book Description




Macroeconomics and the History of Economic Thought


Book Description

The essays in this Festschrift have been chosen to honour Harald Hagemann and his scientific work. They reflect his main contributions to economic research and his major fields of interest. The essays in the first part deal with various aspects within the history of economic thought. The second part is about the current state of macroeconomics. The essays in the third part of the book cover topics on economic growth and structural dynamics.




The Development of Economics in Western Europe Since 1945


Book Description

The volume goes beyond the conventional history of economics in its emphasis on the historical and institutional context, economic policy, and the development of economics as a profession.