The Penguin History of
Economics
Nobody can ignor economics.
There are never enough resources to go round, so human beings have always wrestled with
the crucial issues of money, markets, bargaining, prices and production. In this new and
authoritative history, Roger Backhouse takes the story of economics
Economics emerged only slowly
as a distinct discipline, out of theology, moral philosophy, administration and law. It
has been deeply influenced by scientific theories like those of Newton and Darwin, by
mathematical methods such as game theory, by statistical techniques and technological
advances. And it has always confronted practical issues of welfare and warfare,
colonialism and development, the collapse of communism and the difficult transition to
capitalist democracy.
In addition to placing
well-known figures - including Adam Smith, Matthus, Marx and Keynes - in their historical
settings, Backhouse brings into his story many important topics that are often neglected.
These include the importance of Islam in the Middle Ages; science, politics and economics
in seventeenth-century England; the rise of economics in the USA; inter-war debates over
socialism versus the market; the impact of the Second World War; and the
late-twentieth-century proliferation of fields within economics.
Comprehensive and very
readable, The Penguin History of Economics offers a definitive overview of this crucially
important subject.
364 pages