A history of economic doctrines: From the Time of the Physiocrats to the Present Day

About this book

This work is a scholarly survey of the evolution of economic thought from the physiocratic era to the early twentieth‑century debates. The authors begin by lamenting the scarcity of English‑language treatments of the subject, then launch into a comparative appraisal of national traditions, particularly the French emphasis on doctrinal history, the German dominance in research, and the English preoccupation with “pure doctrine.” Their preface outlines a deliberately selective approach, acknowledging omissions and the difficulty of presenting a complete picture within a single volume. By anchoring each school of thought to its historical context, they aim to show how ideas such as Ricardo’s pessimism or the Fabian Society’s revival of Ricardian economics fit into a broader intellectual landscape.

Written in a measured, academic tone typical of early‑1900s French‑influenced scholarship, the text interweaves extensive footnotes, citations, and occasional self‑reflexive commentary. Readers who appreciate meticulous historical analysis, enjoy tracing the genealogy of economic theories, or are interested in the interplay between national academic cultures will find the book rewarding. It is especially suited to students of the history of economics, historians of ideas, and scholars seeking a nuanced, period‑specific perspective on the development of economic doctrines.

Opening lines

The remarkable dearth of literature of this kind in English may be pleaded in further extenuation of the attempt to present the work in an English garb, and readers of the Preface will be able to contrast the position in this country with the very different condition of things prevailing across the Channel. The contrast might even be carried a stage farther, and it would be interesting to speculate upon the historical causes which have made Germany supreme in the field of economic research and history, which influenced France in her choice of the history of theory, and which decreed that England should on the whole remain faithful to the tradition of the “pure doctrine.” Can it be that something like a “territorial division of labour” applies in matters intellectual as well as economic? …

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