Early Developments In Mathematical Economics

This sequel to the author's "Early Development in Mathematical Economics" covers developments in this field after the appearance of Cournot's "Recherches" in 1838 and until the publication of Jevons' "Theory" in 1871.

Convinced that Ricardian concept of political economy, dominant among his contempories, was based on unscientific doctrines and dubious moral conclusions, William Whewell and his followers sought to transform scientific knowledge and to reform British education by applying mathematics to economics. James P. Henderson's comprehensive study argues that Whewell developed a strategy to challenge the growing dominance of the Ricardian paradigm by highlighting the errors in its deductive reasoning. Whewell's views on scientific methodology, moral philosophy, and educational doctrine influenced several generations of prominent mathematical economists, including Edward Rogers, Col. T. Perronet Thompson, John Edward Tozer, Sir John William Lubbock, and Dionysius Lardner. Along with Richard Jones, Whewell was instrumental in developing an inductive political economy based upon careful historical and statistical research. This study of Whewell's contributions to mathematical economics is important reading for students and scholars of economics and political economy.

These volumes chart the fundamental - methodological and analytical - change in economics that arose in the second half of the nineteenth century. The main characteristics of this change included an increasing reliance on mathematical methods, a revolution in the theory of value, and the rise of general equilibrium theory. This collection traces this long revolution over a fifty-year period for the first time, from William Stanley Jevons' The Theory of Political Economy (1871), to Eugen Slutsky's On the Theory of the Budget of the Consumer (1915).

A lot of economic problems can formulated as constrained optimizations and equilibration of their solutions. Various mathematical theories have been supplying economists with indispensable machineries for these problems arising in economic theory. Conversely, mathematicians have been stimulated by various mathematical difficulties raised by economic theories. The series is designed to bring together those mathematicians who were seriously interested in getting new challenging stimuli from economic theories with those economists who are seeking for effective mathematical tools for their researchers. Members of the editorial board of this series consists of following prominent economists and mathematicians: Managing Editors: S. Kusuoka (Univ. Tokyo), T. Maruyama (Keio Univ.) Editors: R. Anderson (U.C.Berkeley), C. Castaing (Univ. Montpellier), F. H. Clarke (Univ. Lyon I), G. Debreu (U.C. Berkeleyer), E. Dierker (Univ. Vienna), D. Duffie (Stanford Univ.), L.C. Evans (U.C. Berkeley), T. Fujimoto (Okayama Univ.), J. -M. Grandmont (CREST-CNRS), N. Hirano (Yokohama National Univ.), L. Hurwicz (Univ. of Minnesota), T. Ichiishi (Ohio State Univ.), A. Ioffe (Israel Institute of Technology), S. Iwamoto (Kyushu Univ.), K. Kamiya (Univ. Tokyo), K. Kawamata (Keio Univ.), N. Kikuchi (Keio Univ.), H. Matano (Univ. Tokyo), K. Nishimura (Kyoto Univ.), M. K. Richter (Univ. Minnesota), Y. Takahashi (Kyoto Univ.), M. Valadier (Univ. Montpellier II), M. Yano (Keio Univ).

Known for its clarity, comprehensiveness, and balance, the latest edition of A History of Economic Theory and Method continues that tradition of excellence. Ekelund and Hébert’s survey provides historical and international contexts for how economic models have served social needs throughout the centuries—beginning with the ancient Greeks through the present time. The authors not only trace ideas that have persisted but skillfully demonstrate that past, discredited ideas also have a way of spawning critical thinking and encouraging new directions in economic analysis. Coverage that distinguishes the Sixth Edition from its predecessors includes a detailed analysis of economic solutions by John Stuart Mill and Edwin Chadwick to problems raised by the Industrial Revolution; the role of psychology and “experiments” in understanding demand and consumer behavior; discussions of modern economic theory as it interrelates with other social sciences; and a close look at the historical development of the critical role of entrepreneurship, both in its productive and unproductive variants. The authors’ creative approach gives readers a feel for the thought processes of the great minds in economics and underscores key ideas impacting contemporary thought and practice. Well-crafted discussions are further enriched by absorbing examples and figures. Thorough suggested reading lists give options for more in-depth explorations by interested readers.