Edward Elgar Publishing A Brief History of Economic Thought: From the Mercantilists to the Post-Keynesians

It is now widely acknowledged that history is useful, even essential, because it helps us predict the future. The history of ideas in economics, as in other fields of inquiry, plays an important role in enlightening current researchers as they endeavour to understand contemporary events and anticipate the future of human societies. This book brings together a fine collection of chapters that span contributions from forgotten classics to the most recent new thinking about critical issues such as growth, wealth, its creation and its distribution among members of society. It is A Brief History of Economic Thought, but it will certainly go a long way in helping undergraduate students and other researchers who are curious about the evolution of economic ideas over the last five centuries. Chapters offer discussions on the main tenets of post-Keynesian economics, and focus on issues of growth, wealth and income distribution. The debate on the role of government versus the market is brought to the fore within the context of economic thought from the Physiocrats to the post-Keynesians. The editors have created an essential read for scholars and students interested in the history of economic thought and post-Keynesian economics.