Search results for ""Author D. P. O’Brien""

This book restates the importance of the study of the history of ideas, in the context of the writings of economists. After an initial statement, a case study involving five methodological detours is considered. This is followed by an analysis of a flawed attempt to remedy the manifest deficiencies of the static general equilibrium model. A general overview of classical economics is followed by an account of the world of Alfred Marshall who did so much to bridge the gap between classical and neo-classical economics. The work of two great historians of economics, Edwin Cannan and J.R. McCulloch, is discussed, as well as that of Paul Samuelson who while a leading theorist has defied the narrow essentialism now fashionable, and remained a scholar. There are also three chapters dealing with one of the most learned writers on economics, Friedrich Hayek.Illustrated by discussions of methodological and historical issues, the book will be essential reading for economists, researchers and students of the history of economic thought.

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In this reassessment of the 19th century monetary theorist and banking reformer, Thomas Joplin, Professor O'Brien sets out to place his subject in a new perspective. He discusses Joplin's role as a reformer and his relationships with fellow economists and explores such issues as the problems of paper currency, the principle of metallic fluctuation, agricultural prices and the monetary system and the structure of banking. The book should be of interest to anyone interested in the development of monetary economics as well as to economic historians.

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The collection covers the foundations of business cycle theory from the mid-nineteenth century through to the work immediately affected by the publication of Keynes's General Theory.With the revival of interest in real business cycles in the last ten years, these volumes provide a substantial selection of the intellectual achievements in this area developed by previous generations; any of such achievements were temporarily obscured by the success of Keynes's work.

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Methodology, Money and the Firm brings together Denis O'Brien's most important essays on issues ranging from methodology to competition policy but is primarily focused on the history of economic thought, an area in which he has made a notable contribution. This two volume set begins with Professor O'Brien's work on methodology and includes essays which take their approaches from the history and philosophy of science as applied to economics, and from the role of theory and data in economics. Industrial problems are addressed in the next section, focusing particularly on competition policy but also covering the question of patents and the neglected contributions of Alfred Marshall in the field of industrial economics. Marshall's achievements are also a theme of the third section which deals with the treatment of the firm by economists. Later sections include discussions of money and trade, the history of English economics from Petty to the end of the classical era, and English and Austrian economics after 1870 with essays on Marshall, Robbins and Hayek. The book also includes a specially written introduction in which Professor O'Brien explains the influences behind his work.

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The literature of monetary economics has been characterised by controversy and changes in the received wisdom throughout its history. The controversies have related not merely to the effects on incomes and prices of changes in the money supply, but even to the question of whether causality runs from money to incomes and prices or vice versa. This book begins with the pioneering work of the sixteenth century French writer Jean Bodin, followed by the celebrated John Law, and John Locke (and his eighteenth century critics). It considers both the theory and the evidence involved in the controversy between the Currency and Banking schools. Closely related to this was the work of two writers, Thomas Joplin and Walter Bagehot, both of whom provided perspectives strikingly different from those of the main controversialists and, in so doing, advanced the subject of monetary economics.The book seeks, through the examination of monetary controversies, to provide an historical perspective on modern understanding of monetary policy. It will be essential reading for economists with an interest in monetary economics and the history of economic thought.

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The Classical Economists Revisited conveys the extent, diversity, and richness of the literature of economics produced in the period extending from David Hume's Essays of 1752 to the final contributions of Fawcett and Cairnes in the 1870s. D. P. O'Brien thoroughly updates, rewrites, and expands the vastly influential work he first published in 1975, The Classical Economists. In particular, he sets out to make clear the shaping of a comprehensive vision of the working of an open economy, building on the great work of Adam Smith in Wealth of Nations, a development that was substantially affected by the contributions of David Ricardo. He shows that the Classical literature was in fact the work of a host of thinkers from a wide range of backgrounds. Covering the intellectual roots of the Classical literature and its methodological approaches, and the developed theories of value, distribution, money, trade, population, economic growth, and public finance, and examining the Classical attitudes toward a rich variety of policy issues, The Classical Economists Revisited considers not only the achievements of the Classical writers but also their legacy to the later development of economics. A seminal contribution to the field, this book will be treasured for many years to come by economists, historians of economics, instructors and their students, and anyone interested in the sweeping breadth and enduring influence of the classical economists.

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George Warde Norman, 1793-1882, a Director of the Bank of England 1821-72, was an important figure in both the development and the implementation of the theory of monetary control, embodied in the Bank Charter Act of 1844. Norman wrote an Autobiography covering his first 54 years, and this provides a remarkable portrait not only of Norman himself but of the social and intellectual network in which he lived. He was an intimate of the Utilitarians, especially George Grote with whom there was ultimately a quarrel which has never been made public before. He was a businessman, at first in the timber trade, in which connection he spent time in Norway, and made the acquaintance of Napoleon’s Marshall, Bernadotte, by then King of Sweden and Norway, and then in fire insurance. He also wrote on economic matters, not only on monetary issues but also on trade theory and taxation. The Autobiography, which has survived fire and flood, was rediscovered in the 1960s by D.P. O’Brien who at that time prepared a typescript which has been used by scholars. With the release of this edition, the work is now available for the first time in a fully edited and corrected version. It should be of interest to historians of economic thought, economic historians, and students of nineteenth century intellectual history and society.

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George Warde Norman was a Director of the Bank of England from 1821 to 1872, a key figure behind the Bank Charter Act of 1844, and one of the founders of the Political Economy Club. In 1821 G.W. Norman began an essay on taxation as part of the utilitarian programme. His vision was for increased human happiness through a wholesale reform of the revenue system founded upon direct taxation in the form of a comprehensive property tax. He continued to work on the essay over many years, never losing his faith in the utilitarian ideal or his belief in the property tax solution as the key to fiscal happiness. This book represents G.W. Norman's final thoughts, themselves a manifestation of a significant element in the development of 19th century policy and institutions. This edition of a hitherto unknown work demonstrates the importance of utilitarianism to liberal thinking on taxation. As such, this unique book will appeal to specialists in the history of economic thought and to historians, especially those with an interest in the history of public finance, an area in which G.W. Norman's contribution has been almost entirely overlooked. Providing a new and previously unexploited source, it should also prove to be a fascinating read for postgraduates working in these fields.

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