Books reviews - Edward Elgar Publishing

The Dissemination Of Economic Ideas
Edited by Heinz D. Kurz, Professor of Economics, University of Graz, Austria, Tamotsu Nishizawa, Professor, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University, Japan and Keith Tribe, Department of History, University of Sussex, UK

This highly illuminating book marks a significant stage in our growing understanding of how the development of national traditions of economic thought has been affected by both internal and external factors.

September 2011, 392 pp, Hardback




Gunnar Myrdal, Friedrich A. Von Hayek, Robert W. Fogel, Douglass C. North And Amartya K. Sen
Edited by Howard R. Vane, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Liverpool Business School, Liverpool John Moores University, UK and Chris Mulhearn, Reader in Economics, Liverpool Business School, Liverpool John Moores University, UK

‘These volumes complement Vane and Mulhearn’s critically acclaimed book, The Nobel Memorial Laureates in Economics, and are an indispensable guide to key developments in modern economics.’
– Mark Blaug, University of London and University of Buckingham, UK

September 2011, 872 pp, Hardback



Herbert A. Simon, George J. Stigler And Ronald H. Coase
Edited by Howard R. Vane, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Liverpool Business School, Liverpool John Moores University, UK and Chris Mulhearn, Reader in Economics, Liverpool Business School, Liverpool John Moores University, UK

‘These volumes complement Vane and Mulhearn’s critically acclaimed book, The Nobel Memorial Laureates in Economics, and are an indispensable guide to key developments in modern economics.’
– Mark Blaug, University of London and University of Buckingham, UK

September 2011, 320 pp, Hardback



James M. Buchanan, Gary S. Becker, Daniel Kahneman And Vernon L. Smith
Edited by Howard R. Vane, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Liverpool Business School, Liverpool John Moores University, UK and Chris Mulhearn, Reader in Economics, Liverpool Business School, Liverpool John Moores University, UK

‘What a brilliant idea! To provide readers with both information on the Nobel Laureates in Economics and, to the degree possible, the original papers for which they were honored. The names of the “contributing” Laureates speak for themselves. Howard Vane and Chris Mulhearn, the editors, and Edward Elgar, the publisher, are to be congratulated for putting the idea into effect.’
– Warren J. Samuels, Michigan State University, US

September 2011, 544 pp, Hardback


Ragnar A.k. Frisch, Jan Tinbergen And Lawrence R. Klein
Edited by Howard R. Vane, Emeritus Professor of Economics, Liverpool Business School, Liverpool John Moores University, UK and Chris Mulhearn, Reader in Economics, Liverpool Business School, Liverpool John Moores University, UK

‘What a brilliant idea! To provide readers with both information on the Nobel Laureates in Economics and, to the degree possible, the original papers for which they were honored. The names of the “contributing” Laureates speak for themselves. Howard Vane and Chris Mulhearn, the editors, and Edward Elgar, the publisher, are to be congratulated for putting the idea into effect.’
– Warren J. Samuels, Michigan State University, US

September 2011,432 pp, Hardback


For full contents - www.e-elgar.com

The Darwin Economy: Liberty, Competition, and the Common Good - New Issue

The Darwin Economy: Liberty, Competition, and the Common Good
Robert H. Frank
Princeton University Press

Who was the greater economist--Adam Smith or Charles Darwin? The question seems absurd. Darwin, after all, was a naturalist, not an economist. But Robert Frank, New York Times economics columnist and best-selling author of The Economic Naturalist, predicts that within the next century Darwin will unseat Smith as the intellectual founder of economics. The reason, Frank argues, is that Darwin's understanding of competition describes economic reality far more accurately than Smith's. And the consequences of this fact are profound. Indeed, the failure to recognize that we live in Darwin's world rather than Smith's is putting us all at risk by preventing us from seeing that competition alone will not solve our problems.

Smith's theory of the invisible hand, which says that competition channels self-interest for the common good, is probably the most widely cited argument today in favor of unbridled competition--and against regulation, taxation, and even government itself. But what if Smith's idea was almost an exception to the general rule of competition? That's what Frank argues, resting his case on Darwin's insight that individual and group interests often diverge sharply. Far from creating a perfect world, economic competition often leads to "arms races," encouraging behaviors that not only cause enormous harm to the group but also provide no lasting advantages for individuals, since any gains tend to be relative and mutually offsetting.

The good news is that we have the ability to tame the Darwin economy. The best solution is not to prohibit harmful behaviors but to tax them. By doing so, we could make the economic pie larger, eliminate government debt, and provide better public services, all without requiring painful sacrifices from anyone. That's a bold claim, Frank concedes, but it follows directly from logic and evidence that most people already accept.

Robert H. Frank is an economics professor at Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management and a regular "Economic View" columnist for the New York Times, and a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Demos. His books, which have been translated into 22 languages, include The Winner-Take-All Society (with Philip Cook), The Economic Naturalist, Luxury Fever, What Price the Moral High Ground?, and Principles of Economics (with Ben Bernanke).


http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9509.html

The Poverty of Clio: Resurrecting Economic History - Francesco Boldizzoni

The Poverty of Clio challenges the hold that cliometrics--an approach to economic history that employs the analytical tools of economists--has exerted on the study of our economic past. In this provocative book, Francesco Boldizzoni calls for the reconstruction of economic history, one in which history and the social sciences are brought to bear on economics, and not the other way around.

Boldizzoni questions the appeal of economics over history--which he identifies as a distinctly American attitude--exposing its errors and hidden ideologies, and revealing how it fails to explain economic behavior itself. He shows how the misguided reliance on economic reasoning to interpret history has come at the expense of insights from the humanities and has led to a rejection of valuable past historical research. Developing a better alternative to new institutional economics and the rational choice approach, Boldizzoni builds on the extraordinary accomplishments of twentieth-century European historians and social thinkers to offer fresh ideas for the renewal of the field.

Economic history needs to rediscover the true relationship between economy and culture, and promote an authentic alliance with the social sciences, starting with sociology and anthropology. It must resume its dialogue with the humanities, but without shrinking away from theory when constructing its models. The Poverty of Clio demonstrates why history must exert its own creative power on economics.

Francesco Boldizzoni is research fellow in economic history at the University of Bari and a life member of Clare Hall, University of Cambridge. He is the author of Means and Ends: The Idea of Capital in the West, 1500-1970.


Table of Contents:

Preface ix
Chapter 1: Truth on the Cross
Science and Ideology 1
Chapter 2: Economics with a Human Face? 18
Chapter 3: The Fanciful World of Clio 54
Chapter 4: The World We Have Lost
Microeconomic History 87
Chapter 5: The World We Have Lost
Macroeconomic Perspectives 120
Chapter 6: Building on the Past
The Creative Power of History 138
References 173
Index 209




http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9476.html

Pioneers Of Law And Economics - New Issue

Pioneers Of Law And Economics


Edited by Lloyd R. Cohen, Professor and Joshua D. Wright, Professor, George Mason University School of Law, US

‘. . . pure gems in each and every essay. . . Reading this book provides an intellectual framework for the history of thought in the field that until now it had sorely lacked.’
– Zagros Madjd-Sadjadi, American Review of Political Economy

The law and economics movement came of age in the second half of the 20th century and had a profound effect on both the scholarship and practice of law. The specially commissioned essays in this book honor the pioneering contributions of those who created the foundation of the modern law and economics enterprise.

The editors of the volume embrace a view of the field that is inclusive not only of a broad range of issues, but also of economic methods. Celebrated here as the founding pioneers of law and economics is a remarkably varied collection of scholars: applied and theoretical micro-economists, founders of public choice economics, and legal scholars and judges. They include: Ronald Coase, Aaron Director, George Stigler, Armen Alchian, Harold Demsetz, Benjamin Klein, James Buchanan, Gordon Tullock, Henry Manne, Richard Posner, Gary Becker, William Landes, Richard Epstein, Guido Calabresi, Frank Easterbrook, Daniel Fischel, Steven Shavell and A. Mitchell Polinsky. Contributors to the volume include other pioneers, former students and clerks, colleagues, and influential scholars in the field.

Scholars and students working in the tradition of law and economics, as well as those in the fields of economics, law and public policy will find the book an essential reference for this important area of scholarship.


Elgar original reference
For full contents - www.e-elgar.com

A Cooperative Species Human Reciprocity and Its Evolution

A Cooperative Species
Human Reciprocity and Its Evolution
Samuel Bowles & Herbert Gintis

To read the entire book description or a sample chapter:
http://press.princeton.edu/lists/lt.php?id=YhgGXVJSDlJQD0ldUAoaAlRUBQc%3D

Why do humans, uniquely among animals, cooperate in large numbers to
advance projects for the common good? Contrary to the conventional
wisdom in biology and economics, this generous and civic-minded
behavior is widespread and cannot be explained simply by far-sighted
self-interest or a desire to help close genealogical kin. /A
Cooperative Species/ shows that the central issue is not why selfish
people act generously, but instead how genetic and cultural evolution
has produced a species in which substantial numbers make sacrifices to
uphold ethical norms and to help even total strangers.

"Bowles and Gintis stress that cooperation among individuals who are
only distantly related is a critical distinguishing feature of the
human species. They argue forcefully that the best explanation for
such cooperation is altruism. Many will dispute this claim, but it
deserves serious consideration."--Eric Maskin, Nobel Laureate in
Economics



Princeton University Press
41 William Street
Princeton, New Jersey
U.S.A. 08540
http://press.princeton.edu/lists/lt.php?id=YhgGXVJSDlJXBkldUAoaAlRUBQc%3D

Resources for Economists on the Internet

Resources for Economists on the Internet

Vol. 14, No. 6
June 17, 2011
Editor: Bill Goffe
Dept. of Economics, SUNY Oswego
Editorial Assistant: Rich Freeh

http://rfe.org/index.php

This guide is sponsored by the American Economic Association. It lists more than 2,000 resources in 97 sections and sub-sections available on the Internet of interest to academic and practicing economists, and those interested in economics. Almost all resources are also described.
Those searching the Internet for economic information might also wish to try the Economics Search Engine (ESE). It indexes 23,000 economics web sites from around the world. Searches with it only return their contents.

The Complete Table of Contents is for those who want a list of all resources in this guide. From there you can go to a resource quickly -- simply click on its name. A link to an extended description here in RFE is denoted by "details..." As the Complete Table of Contents is quite large, there is also an Abridged Table of Contents that just lists RFE's sections and sub-sections. One can also search all parts of this guide.

You can also navigate this guide by starting with the main sections listed above on this title page. There, you can (i) move directly to the resource (again, by clicking on the title), (ii) read a short description of many resources in that section, (iii) click to an extended description by following the [details] links, or (iv) click to a "deeper" sub-section and where these same navigation conventions apply).

Darwin’s Clever Neighbour - George Warde Norman and his Circle

Darwin’s Clever Neighbour
George Warde Norman and his Circle

D.P. O’Brien, Emeritus Professor of Economics, University of Durham, UK and John Creedy, The Truby Williams Professor of Economics, University of Melbourne, Australia

‘This is the autobiography of a prominent 19th century economist, which was miraculously saved from destruction by fire. It would be interesting simply as a personal account of the education of an upper class gentleman of the Victorian era. But Norman became a long-serving director of the Bank of England who entered into public debates on matters of public finance and international trade. The editors are well-known authorities in the history of economic thought and provide us with a 50-page introduction to the technicalities of Norman’s contributions. This is an invaluable entrée into classical economics as it was experienced at the time.’
– Mark Blaug, University of London and University of Buckingham, UK

‘This book has been a long time in the making but well worth the wait. It is a work of immense scholarship. The editors of George Warde Norman’s autobiography have put a huge effort into the production. The volume has a splendid introduction and is then packed with fascinating detail revealing the world of an important nineteenth century figure – the grandfather of Montagu Norman no less – that lights up the working of the Bank and the City and much else besides.’
– Forrest H. Capie, Bank of England, UK

George Warde Norman, 1793–1882, a Director of the Bank of England 1821–72, was an important figure in both the development and the implementation of the theory of monetary control, embodied in the Bank Charter Act of 1844. Norman wrote an Autobiography covering his first 54 years, and this provides a remarkable portrait not only of Norman himself but of the social and intellectual network in which he lived. He was an intimate of the Utilitarians, especially George Grote with whom there was ultimately a quarrel which has never been made public before. He was a businessman, at first in the timber trade, in which connection he spent time in Norway, and made the acquaintance of Napoleon’s Marshall, Bernadotte, by then King of Sweden and Norway, and then in fire insurance. He also wrote on economic matters, not only on monetary issues but also on trade theory and taxation. The Autobiography, which has survived fire and flood, was rediscovered in the 1960s by D.P. O’Brien who at that time prepared a typescript which has been used by scholars. With the release of this edition, the work is now available for the first time in a fully edited and corrected version. It should be of interest to historians of economic thought, economic historians, and students of nineteenth century intellectual history and society.

2010 512 pp

For full contents - www.e-elgar.com

Types of Economic Theory

Types of Economic Theory

By Othmar Spann
Translated by Eden Paul and Cedar Paul
Series: Routledge Revivals

First published in English 1929, this is a reissue of the nineteenth edition of Othmar Spann's classic history of economic thought, which is strongly influenced by the German Romantic tradition.
Spann intended the work to serve as both history of economic thought and a critique of the main theories and systems of political economy, analysing the basic problems of economics in the light of the evolution of economic theory. His study encapsulates everything from pre-mercantile economics through to the political economy of the early twentieth century, encompassing such diverse subjects as the physiocratic system, the development of German political economy and the evolution of socialism.

Published May 31st 2011 by Routledge

Crises and Cycles in Economic Dictionaries and Encyclopaedias

Crises and Cycles in Economic Dictionaries and Encyclopaedias
Edited by Daniele Besomi

To be published June 29th 2011 by Routledge – 632 pages

Series: Routledge Studies in the History of Economics

This book aims at investigating from the perspective of the major economic dictionaries the notions of economic crisis and cycle. The project consists in giving an extensive summary of a number of significant entries on this subject, with an introductory essay to each entry placing them (and the dictionary to which they belong) in their context, giving some details on the author of the dictionary entry, and assessing the entry’s (and its author’s) contribution. The broad picture (including the history of these encyclopedic tools) will be examined in the introductory essays.

Contents:

Part I: Introductory 1. Introduction Daniele Besomi 2. A Brief History of Economic Dictionaries. An Essay in Bibliography Daniele Besommi 3. Naming Crises. A Note on Semantics and Chronology Daniele Besomi 4. Dictionary Reconstructions of the History of the Theories of Crises and Cycles. A Meta-Taxonomy Daniele Besomi Part II: The Classic Dictoinaries 5. Between Progress and Decline: Crises in Early French Dictionaries and Encyclopedias (1830-1840) Ludovic Frobert 6. The Analysis of Crises in Early French Dictoaries and Encyclopedias Daniele Besomi 7. Wilhelm Roscher's Crises Theory: From Production Crises to Sales Crises Harald Hagemann 8. Charles Coquelin: Banking Monopoly and Commercial Crises Daniele Besomi 9. Commercial Crisis and Credit in the First Spanish General Encyclopedia (1851-1855) Jesús Astigarraga and Juan Zabalza 10. Expectations and Crises in Auguste Ott's Dictionnaire des Sciences Politiques et Sociales Daniele Besomi 11. Gerolamo Boccardo on Internally Generated Commercial Crises Daniele Besomi 12. Clément Juglar 1863-1891: Tracking and Interpreting the Periodic Return of Crises Cécile Dangel-Hagnauer 13. Henry D. Macleod's Dictionary of Political Economy: Britain's First Aborted Attempt Cécile Dangel-Hagnauer 14. Adolf Wagner: Economic Crises, Capitalism and Human Nature Vitantonio Gioia 15. Émile de Laveleye: Economic Crises, Christianity and Socialism Ludovic Frobert 16. Of the 'Old' Palgrave Entries on Crises Pascal Bridel 17. From Crises to Cycles: Tugan-Baranovsky and the Brockham-Efron (1895-1915) François Allisson 18. Heinrich Herkner: Inequality of Income Distribution, Overcapitalisation and Underconsumption Harald Hagemann 19. Wilhelm Lexis: Crises and Overproduction Harald Hagemann 20. Arthur Spiethoff: From Economic Crises to Business Cycle Theory Vitantonio Gioia 21. Koynus's 'Economic conjuncture' in the Granat Encyclopedia Vincent Barnett 22. Wesley Mitchell, Arthur Burns and Trygve Haavehno on Business Cycles: The Two Encyclopyedias of the Social Sicnes (1930-1935 and 1968) Pier Francesco Asso and Luca Fiorito 23. Tinbergen on Dynamics and Conjuncture in Stridiron's Bedrijfseconomische encyclopedie Peter Rodenburg Part III: The Recent Dictionaries 24. Nikolai Kondratiev and Long Waves in Recent Dictionaries and Encyclopedias Francisco Louçã 25. Political Business Cycles Jon-Peter Olters 26. Nonlinear Business Cycles in Recent Dictionaries Giorgio Colacchio 27. An Assessment of Real Business Cycles in Recent Dictionaries Marc Pilkington 28. Back to Crises: Post-War Dictionaries and the Reslience of an Old Category Daniele Besomi and Giorgio Colacchio 29 A Bibliography of Specialised Dictionaries of Economics and Related Subjects Daniele Besomi

Il ventunesimo secolo di Keynes

Luiss University Press


A cura di Lorenzo Pecchi e Gustavo Piga

Il ventunesimo secolo di Keynes.
Economia e società per le nuove generazioni



Nel 1930, il grande economista inglese John Maynard Keynes scrisse un breve saggio, dal tono colloquiale e informale, intitolato Possibilità economiche per i nostri nipoti. Il testo, scritto inizialmente per essere letto agli studenti, e successivamente rivisitato per la pubblicazione, è stato a lungo tempo dimenticato, finché la recente crisi mondiale non l'ha riportato all'attenzione di economisti ed esperti.
Perché queste dieci pagine scarse, scritte in modo molto poco accademico e, anzi, quasi divulgativo, sono ritenute così degne d'attenzione?
Il motivo è da ricercarsi nelle profezie che Keynes, riferendosi al "nostro" ventunesimo secolo, proponeva ai propri studenti: in un momento di crisi, come si sarebbe potuto intervenire, e che cosa avrebbe comportato l'intervento nel lungo periodo?
Lo scritto keynesiano, che apre questo volume, viene oggi letto da sedici dei più illustri economisti dei giorni nostri, che provano a vedere se, come e in che misura le profezie ivi contenute abbiano trovato riscontro negli avvenimenti di questi anni e, quando questo non è accaduto, quale è stato il motivo dell'"errore" di Keynes, e quali insegnamenti possiamo trarre da ciò.
Il libro, partendo da presupposti e punti di vista scientifici diversi, non manca di indagare i grandi temi al centro del dibattito ai giorni nostri. L'analisi di questioni quali il consumismo, la ricchezza, il tempo libero e il lavoro, la disuguaglianza, lo sviluppo e la tecnologia, fa sì che il saggio, come lo scritto che lo ha ispirato, sia a un tempo una lezione e una guida per gli "ascoltatori" di oggi.

Con scritti di:
Joseph Stiglitz (Nobel per l'economia 2001),
Edmund Phelps (Nobel per l'economia 2006),
Gary Becker (Nobel per l'economia 1992),
Robert Solow (Nobel per l'economia 1987),
Jean-Paul Fitoussi,
William Baumol,
David Levine
e altri ancora.

Surtout pas trop de zèle. Scienza economica di oggi nelle impressioni di un economista di ieri - Presentazione

Alla Facoltà di Economia dell'Università degli studi di Bari "A.Moro", il 19 maggio 2011, alle ore 17.30, Domenicantonio Fausto e Antonio Pedone discutono il libro di Italo Magnani Surtout pas trop de zèle. Scienza economica di oggi nelle impressioni di un economista di ieri, CIRIEC, Milano, 2009, pp. 210.
Sarà presente l'autore

Atti convegno in onore di Giorgio Lunghini

Gli interventi del convegno in onore di Giorgio Lunghini su "L'economia politica e l'evoluzione del capitalismo negli ultimi quarant'anni" tenutosi a Pavia il 15 febbraio 2011 sono pubblicati sul sito:
http://dipartimenti.unipv.eu/on-dip/epmq/Home/DettaglioHome/articolo450001577.html

Sameulson's papers at DUKE

The Economists Papers Project of Duke's Rare Books, Manuscripts and Special Collections Library has received the final shipment of theSamuelson papers -- the end of the correspondence files -- and the inventory should be updated soon with this material. As usual, please follow instructions at the Papers website(http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/economists/) as you plan to use thematerials.

Rational Decisions

"Rational Decisions" by Ken Binmore

It is widely held that Bayesian decision theory is the final word on how a rational person should make decisions. However, Leonard Savage--the inventor of Bayesian decision theory--argued that it would be ridiculous to use his theory outside the kind of small world in which it is always possible to "look before you leap." If taken seriously, this view makes Bayesian decision theory inappropriate for the large worlds of scientific discovery and macroeconomic enterprise. When is it correct to use Bayesian decision theory--and when does it need to be modified? Using a minimum of mathematics, /Rational Decisions/ clearly explains the foundations of Bayesian decision theory and shows why Savage restricted the theory's application to
small worlds.

"This short, ambitious book is intended to appeal to the presumed curiosity of economists, statisticians, and philosophers as to what constitutes rationality in scientific induction. Binmore, a game theorist aware of the daunting complexity of his subject matter for nonspecialists, has gone to great pains in making his work accessible, even offering marginal symbols to indicate the substantial portions of the text best avoided by readers lacking the author's appetite for mathematical data."

To read the entire book description or a sample chapter, please
visit:
http://press.princeton.edu/lists/lt.php?id=YhgGVlxXCFdbB0lcUgEaAlRUBQc%3D

Il Governo Locale dal 1861 ad oggi - Presentazione

Presentazione de IL GOVERNO LOCALE DAL 1861 AD OGGI
a cura di IRES, IRPET, SRM, IRER e IPRES, con il patrocinio SIEP
Giovedì 14 aprile, ore 14.30 - 17.30Sala Conferenze Archivio di Stato Piazzetta Mollino - Torino
RSVP entro il 13 aprile - Mail: editoria@ires.piemonte.it - Tel. 0116666461

Il cammino dell’economia italiana 1979-2009

Riviste Scientifiche Unicredit - Il trentennale di «Economia Italiana»
Unicredit ha il piacere di invitarla alla presentazione del volume
Il cammino dell’economia italiana 1979-2009, a cura di Michele Barbato
Martedì 29 Marzo 2011, ore 9,30
Banca d'Italia - Villa Huffer
Via Nazionale, 191 - ROMA
Programma
9,30 Registrazione
Presiede
10,00 PAOLO SAVONA Editor Economia Italiana
Indirizzo di saluto
10,15 FABRIZIO SACCOMANNI Direttore Generale Banca d’Italia
Intervengono
10,30
MICHELE SALVATI Professore di Economia Politica Università di Milano
GIANGIACOMO NARDOZZI Professore di Economia Politica Politecnico di Milano
Concludono
11,30
MICHELE BARBATO Direttore Responsabile Economia Italiana
GUIDO MARIA REY Professore di Economia Politica Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna di Pisa

Roads To Wisdom, Conversations With Ten Nobel Laureates In Economics

Roads To Wisdom, Conversations With Ten Nobel Laureates In Economics
by
Karen Ilse Horn, Head of Berlin Office, Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft Köln, Germany‘This is a beautifully written and engaging book. At its heart is a series of structured interviews with ten Nobel Memorial Laureates in Economics that provide fascinating insights into the main influences on their career paths and pioneering work. Karen Horn is to be applauded, not just for her wide-ranging scholarship and thought-provoking analysis but also for producing a non-technical yet rigorous book which is eminently accessible to non-specialists. In short this an excellent volume which comes highly recommended.’
– Howard R. Vane, Liverpool John Moores University, UK
‘Karen Horn’s questions are insightful, her notes are accurate and informative, and her summing up of the central question of creativity that she poses in the book is cogent and to the point. All in all, this book is difficult to put down and I can’t imagine any reader who will not fail to learn a great deal about economics along the way.’
– Mark Blaug, University of London and University of Buckingham, UK
Karen Horn’s remarkable interviews with ten Nobel Laureates explore the conditions required for scientific progress by navigating the ‘roads to wisdom’ in economic science.
How does progress in economic theory come about? Where do path-breaking ideas come from? What is it that has enabled these outstanding scholars to make their substantial contributions? How deep are the footprints of a particular historical situation, how strong the political tide or the state-of-the-art in economics, and how influential is personal history on their individual roads to wisdom? Analytical answers to these fundamental questions are presented in this insightful collection of deep and highly inspiring conversations with Nobel Laureates Paul A. Samuelson, Kenneth J. Arrow, James M. Buchanan, Robert M. Solow, Gary S. Becker, Douglass C. North, Reinhard Selten, George A. Akerlof, Vernon L. Smith and Edmund S. Phelps.
Superbly supplemented with concise overviews of the Nobel Laureates’ lives and works, these fascinating discussions culminate with a comprehensive inquiry into progress in economic theory. As such, this eloquent and highly accessible book will prove to be a compelling read for scholars and students of the discipline, and all those with an interest in economics and the history of economic thought.
2009 384 pp Hardback 978 1 84844 670 0 Regular Price £95.00 Web Price £85.50 ebook 978 1 84844 921 3
2011 Paperback 978 1 84844 694 6 Regular Price £35.00 Web Price £28.00
For full contents - www.e-elgar.com

The Impact Of Alfred Marshall’s Ideas. The Global Diffusion of his Work

The Impact Of Alfred Marshall’s Ideas. The Global Diffusion of his Work Edited by Tiziano Raffaelli, Professor of the History of Economic Thought, University of Pisa, Giacomo Becattini, Emeritus Professor of Political Economy, University of Florence, Katia Caldari, Assistant Professor, University of Padua and Marco Dardi, Professor of Economics, University of Florence, Italy
December 2010 272 pp Hardback 978 1 84720 512 4 £69.95 on-line discount £62.96

‘The team responsible for producing the exemplary Elgar Companion to Alfred Marshall in 2006 has now assembled this complementary volume which contains an equally authoritative collection of studies dealing with the fortuna or intellectual and cultural impact of Marshallian economics in Britain, Europe, North America, Australasia, and Asia. Together the books make an invaluable contribution to the reassessment of Marshall’s reputation and the diffusion of his economic ideas.’
– Donald Winch, University of Sussex, UK
Contributors include: L. Argemì, R.E. Backhouse, B.W. Bateman, A. Brewer, M. Brzezinski, V. Caspari, C. Cristiano, M. Dardi, R.W. Dimand, I. Eliseeva, A.M. Endres, G. Erreygers, R. Faucci, M. Gallegati, P.D.Groenewegen, H. Hagemann, T.J. Hanish, A. Heertje, A. Maneschi, S.G. Medema, N. Mitra, R. Neill, M. Nishioka, M. Quéré, J. Reis, B. Sandelin, A. Sæther, P.B. Trescott, K. Tribe, A. Zanni
Website: http://www.e-elgar.com/bookentry_main.lasso?id=12880

Economics Evolving. A History of Economic Thought

Economics Evolving. A History of Economic Thought
by Agnar Sandmo
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 and 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.
Paper | $45.00 / 24.95 | ISBN: 978-0-691-14842-7Cloth | $90.00 / 62.00 | ISBN: 978-0-691-14063-6
Website: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/9370.html

Henry A. Abbati: Keynes'forgotten precursor

Henry A. Abbati: Keynes' Forgotten Precursor. Selected Writings
Edited by Serena Di Gaspare
Price: $145.00
Binding/Format: Hardback
ISBN: 978-0-415-57345-0Publish Date: December 14th 2010
Imprint: Routledge
Pages: 346 pages
Series: Routledge Studies in the History of Economics
Description
Henry A. Abbati was not an economist by profession. After retiring from business, in 1924 he published his first book, The Unclaimed Wealth: How Money Stops Production in which he expounded his theory of ‘effective demand’ (terminology of his own) and its differences with respect to current theories on economic fluctuations. He was advocating public intervention in the economy in the crisis. His second book, The Final Buyer marshalled his criticisms of current theories and further clarified salient aspects of his theory, such as ‘saving’ and its various definitions, the working of the banking system, the interest rate and the role of public works as a means of reducing unemployment. Later work in the 30s and 40s looked at full employment, reflections on the economic crisis and further analysis of the concept of unclaimed wealth.
In many ways Abbati’s work in the twenties was an important precursor to Keynes’ Treatise on Money, though despite being admired by Robertson and indeed Keynes, his work is today largely unknown and entirely ignored by the numerous authors who have examined the debate of the twenties and thirties on the crises and business cycles and by academic opinion in general. In this book, Di Gaspare restores Abbati’s position as a pioneer in macroeconomic theory with a selection of his writings and a far reaching introduction to his contribution to the history of economic thought
Website:http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415573450/