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Distributed for Reaktion Books

Great Economic Thinkers

An Introduction-from Adam Smith to Amartya Sen

Distributed for Reaktion Books

Great Economic Thinkers

An Introduction-from Adam Smith to Amartya Sen

Great Economic Thinkers presents an accessible introduction to the lives and works of thirteen of the most influential economists of modern times: Adam Smith, David Ricardo, John Stuart Mill, Karl Marx, Alfred Marshall, Joseph Schumpeter, John Maynard Keynes, and Nobel Prize winners Friedrich Hayek, Milton Friedman, John Forbes Nash, Jr., Daniel Kahneman, Amartya Sen, and Joseph Stiglitz. Free from confusing jargon and equations, the book describes key concepts put forward by these thinkers and shows how they have come to shape how we see ourselves and our society. Readers will consider the role played by the division of labor, wages and rents, cognitive biases, saving, entrepreneurship, game theory, liberalism, laissez-faire, and welfare economics.

All of the economists featured have had a profound influence on our attitudes towards market intervention and regulation, taxation, trade, and monetary policy. Each of the chapters—all written by an acknowledged expert—combines a biographical outline of a single thinker with critical analysis of their contribution to economic thought. If you’ve ever wanted to find out more about the theorists who gave us the invisible hand, Marxism, Keynesianism, creative destruction, behavioral economics, and many other foundational concepts of economics, this collection of essays is the perfect place to start.

304 pages | 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 | © 2019

Economics and Business: Economics--General Theory and Principles


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Reviews

"Thirteen papers present accessible profiles of notable economists, highlighting the ways in which they have influenced attitudes toward market intervention and regulation, taxation, trade, and monetary policy."

Journal of Economic Literature

"The thirteen economists represent what is essential knowing in economics by all cognizant readers, who are stimulated to reflect on what makes for 'great economic thinking.' It is evident that, for all their diversities, the authors here celebrated showed a strong tendency to defy disciplinary boundaries—albeit without the imperialistic intent of today’s economics—in observance of the Keynesian rule that a good economist is never only an economist. . . . Readers of different kinds will profit from this book and enjoy it. Though it eschews the technicalities of the specialist literature and is a pleasant read, the stories told are never oversimplified, even when complex theoretical constructs are tackled."

European Journal of the History of Economic Thought

"For general readers wishing to develop a basic understanding of the economic ideas of major Anglophone thinkers, as well as Marx's economic ideas, the book is instructive."

Economic Record

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