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A History of Economic Thought
This book - now in its fifth edition - contains thoroughly revised chapters dealing with the ideas and writers of the first 200 years of the subject, and has incorporated any significant new material. The later sections dealing with the last 50 years or so have been much expanded and updated in the light of current developments relating particularly to controversies on economic policy. Most recent developments, such as the "new classical macroeconomics", including the theory of rational expectations, have also been taken into account.
592 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1938
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 25, 2023
"Given the vast amount of material that has to be absorbed, those who master and operate the machinery (even though they may, in a sense be its slaves) inevitably become its stout defenders against criticism, and a new orthodoxy is born, no less potent than that based on a much more meagre agenda of state action and a quite different relations and procedures between thinkers and actors, which dominated economic thought and policy for so long." (544)
Eric Roll's 615 page book is to economic thought what Bertrand Russell's A History of Western Philosophy is to philosophy. Whilst not the definitive volume of economic history, it does provide a great overview of the main trends of economic theory from Plato and Aristotle to David Hume and John Locke, to Milton Friedman and John Maynard Keynes.
Whilst this book was about twice as long as John Kenneth Galbraith's A History of Economics: The Past as the Present, I would probably place the two as equally useful. Galbraith is better at dealing with the lineage of economic theory and briefly outlining heterodox views (Lenin, Lange, Kalecki etc), but Roll's volume is much more detailed and better graps the challenge of monetarism, despite being written before the neoliberal revolution. Although, it is worth noting that both parties had great things to say about one another, with Galbraith writing of his indebtedness to Roll, and Roll in turn reverring Galbraith as one of the most important economists of the 20th century.
Roll's book does have a slight bias towards Keynesianism & fiscal policy, and is obviously written from the perspective of a Lord, who was once director of the Bank of England, and also permanent secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs during the 1960s. This bias becomes clear in the last chapter, when Roll is writing about the decline of the Keynesian hegemony, with the oncoming tide of monetarism (albeit before the full blown neoliberal takeover in 1979). Despite this, Roll is fair with most of his subjects, and offers a well-thought out case to those he disagrees with.
One irritating fault with this book is the reverence Roll has for himself. He cites his own work numerous times, occasionally quotes untranslated text to flex his intellectual muscles, and also sports a smarter-than-thou attitude with some of the classical economists (for example, he argues that William Petty's editor is wrong, or that Marx's analysis adds nothing to that of Adam Smiths'). This can distract from the otherwise fair treatment of most of his subjects, and I feel that he perhaps should have removed this from the book, since it is aimed at the general reader.
Eric Roll's 615 page book is to economic thought what Bertrand Russell's A History of Western Philosophy is to philosophy. Whilst not the definitive volume of economic history, it does provide a great overview of the main trends of economic theory from Plato and Aristotle to David Hume and John Locke, to Milton Friedman and John Maynard Keynes.
Whilst this book was about twice as long as John Kenneth Galbraith's A History of Economics: The Past as the Present, I would probably place the two as equally useful. Galbraith is better at dealing with the lineage of economic theory and briefly outlining heterodox views (Lenin, Lange, Kalecki etc), but Roll's volume is much more detailed and better graps the challenge of monetarism, despite being written before the neoliberal revolution. Although, it is worth noting that both parties had great things to say about one another, with Galbraith writing of his indebtedness to Roll, and Roll in turn reverring Galbraith as one of the most important economists of the 20th century.
Roll's book does have a slight bias towards Keynesianism & fiscal policy, and is obviously written from the perspective of a Lord, who was once director of the Bank of England, and also permanent secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs during the 1960s. This bias becomes clear in the last chapter, when Roll is writing about the decline of the Keynesian hegemony, with the oncoming tide of monetarism (albeit before the full blown neoliberal takeover in 1979). Despite this, Roll is fair with most of his subjects, and offers a well-thought out case to those he disagrees with.
One irritating fault with this book is the reverence Roll has for himself. He cites his own work numerous times, occasionally quotes untranslated text to flex his intellectual muscles, and also sports a smarter-than-thou attitude with some of the classical economists (for example, he argues that William Petty's editor is wrong, or that Marx's analysis adds nothing to that of Adam Smiths'). This can distract from the otherwise fair treatment of most of his subjects, and I feel that he perhaps should have removed this from the book, since it is aimed at the general reader.
January 7, 2023
Una exposición clara y concisa de el pensamiento económico, que bien sirve como introducción al las corrientes que cubre. Sin embargo, no basta como introducción a la economía en sí, porque si se requiere un conocimiento previo de la terminología y los conceptos. También, no alcanza a profundizar demasiado en el análisis, naturalmente entendible en una obra con contenidos tan amplios.
December 25, 2022
"A History of Economic Thought" is a book written by economist Eric Roll that provides a comprehensive overview of the development of economic thought from ancient times to the present day. The book covers a wide range of topics, including microeconomics, macroeconomics, international economics, and the history of economic thought.
In the book, Roll traces the evolution of economic thought from the early Greek philosophers to the modern era, highlighting the key ideas and contributions of important figures in the field. He discusses the major schools of economic thought, such as classical economics, neoclassical economics, and Keynesian economics, and examines the ways in which economic ideas have changed and developed over time.
"A History of Economic Thought" is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the history of economic thought, and is an important resource for anyone interested in the development of economic ideas and their impact on society. It is considered a classic work in the field of economics.
GPT
In the book, Roll traces the evolution of economic thought from the early Greek philosophers to the modern era, highlighting the key ideas and contributions of important figures in the field. He discusses the major schools of economic thought, such as classical economics, neoclassical economics, and Keynesian economics, and examines the ways in which economic ideas have changed and developed over time.
"A History of Economic Thought" is a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the history of economic thought, and is an important resource for anyone interested in the development of economic ideas and their impact on society. It is considered a classic work in the field of economics.
GPT
March 17, 2015
La peor forma de adquirir dinero es la que usa el dinero mismo como fuente de acumulación, o sea la usura. Kant lo mencionaba "No es de esperarse que los reyes filosofen que los filósofos se conviertan en reyes; tampoco es algo deseable, pues la posesión del poder ineludiblemente corrompe el juicio puro de la razón". Lectura que conoce a los que desconocemos, pesada en lenguaje para una persona que inicia en la economía.
December 1, 2007
bahasanya susah booo'
November 25, 2012
Gua baca yang edisi bahasa melayu punya...pun tak faham...
September 24, 2013
Bahasanya sih tinggi. Tapi jangan ngaku belajar ekonomi kalau belum baca ini.
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January 1, 2015My version is the early one which I used in uwe's class at OWU
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews