This book, now in its third edition, provides an elementary introduction to the history of economic thought. A chapter is devoted to each of the major developments in the history of the discipline, and the concluding chapter draws together some of these key strands and comments on some major works and textbooks in the history of economic ideas. The authors also reflect on the changes in economic thinking within the general context of the philosophy of science.
This new edition continues to offer the clear and concise coverage of the main schools of thought and paradigm shifts in the field that has become the volume’s trademark. The book has been thoroughly updated throughout in order to reflect changes in the landscape of the field. Details on key thinkers, and aspects such as the evolution of scholarship on growth and development, have been added or expanded, whilst not compromising on the book’s concise approach. New updates include:
Up-to-date biographical and bibliographical information.
A discussion of the North American economists John Kenneth Galbraith and Kenneth Ewart Boulding.
Information on developments in institutional economics, addressing in particular the works of the 2009 Nobel Prize winner Elinor Ostrom.
This book has become well known for its innovative coverage of the economic thinking of mainland Europe, whilst also addressing Anglo-American trends. It provides a short and highly readable overview of the evolution of economic thought, usable in courses where the history of economic thought constitutes only a small part of required background reading. It continues to be an extremely useful, much needed text for all introductory economics courses in the field.
