Economics Without Time

This is a book about real time in economics, a dimension increasingly unused by the leading edge of the profession. This, it is argued, has serious implications for economics role as the premier policy-advising source for national governments and international organisations. It is also a book about the great waves of economic change that are surging out of the distant past and into the future - waves of change that economists have failed even to identify let alone analyse. It however challenges economics to put its house in order before it is engulfed by this rising tide. But, the question is however, will economics have time?

What can prosperity possibly mean in a world of environmental and social limits? The publication of Prosperity without Growth was a landmark in the sustainability debate. Tim Jackson’s piercing challenge to conventional economics openly questioned the most highly prized goal of politicians and economists alike: the continued pursuit of exponential economic growth. Its findings provoked controversy, inspired debate and led to a new wave of research building on its arguments and conclusions. This substantially revised and re-written edition updates those arguments and considerably expands upon them. Jackson demonstrates that building a ‘post-growth’ economy is a precise, definable and meaningful task. Starting from clear first principles, he sets out the dimensions of that task: the nature of enterprise; the quality of our working lives; the structure of investment; and the role of the money supply. He shows how the economy of tomorrow may be transformed in ways that protect employment, facilitate social investment, reduce inequality and deliver both ecological and financial stability. Seven years after it was first published, Prosperity without Growth is no longer a radical narrative whispered by a marginal fringe, but an essential vision of social progress in a post-crisis world. Fulfilling that vision is simply the most urgent task of our times.

A fascinating look at the role that households—and the dynamics of families, in particular—play in creating economic growth and social stability in modern economies and markets. This timely compilation of essays examines the paradigm of family in the 21st century, delving into cohabitation, marriage, and divorce; the effects of modern family units on work and consumption; and the ramifications of life choices on economic growth and stability. The text ponders highly personal yet societal topics, such as who lives with whom and why; the reasons for low birth rates among highly educated, high-income women; and strategies busy parents use to balance career, parenthood, and personal life. Volume I explores the various profiles of families today, covering multi- or single-generational, single or dual parent, and same- or opposite-sex couples. Volume II considers how time and money are shared among family members and what impact this distribution of resources has on occupations, technology, and markets. The text scrutinizes the factors that drive family formation and dissolution, control population in countries all over the world, and contribute to a family's well-being and fortitude.

Commons opened Institutional Economics by declaring: ""My point of view is based on my participation in collective activities, from which I here derive a theory of the part played by collective action in control of individual action."" This sentence well summarizes the three key elements of this book--its theoretical intent, the importance Commons gave to his own experience in institutional reform in shaping these ideas, and the focus on the concept of the institution as a collective constraint on individual action.

With over a million copies sold, Economics in One Lesson is an essential guide to the basics of economic theory. A fundamental influence on modern libertarianism, Hazlitt defends capitalism and the free market from economic myths that persist to this day. Considered among the leading economic thinkers of the “Austrian School,” which includes Carl Menger, Ludwig von Mises, Friedrich (F.A.) Hayek, and others, Henry Hazlitt (1894-1993), was a libertarian philosopher, an economist, and a journalist. He was the founding vice-president of the Foundation for Economic Education and an early editor of The Freeman magazine, an influential libertarian publication. Hazlitt wrote Economics in One Lesson, his seminal work, in 1946. Concise and instructive, it is also deceptively prescient and far-reaching in its efforts to dissemble economic fallacies that are so prevalent they have almost become a new orthodoxy. Economic commentators across the political spectrum have credited Hazlitt with foreseeing the collapse of the global economy which occurred more than 50 years after the initial publication of Economics in One Lesson. Hazlitt’s focus on non-governmental solutions, strong — and strongly reasoned — anti-deficit position, and general emphasis on free markets, economic liberty of individuals, and the dangers of government intervention make Economics in One Lesson every bit as relevant and valuable today as it has been since publication.

Neo-classical economics is frequently criticised for paying inadequate attention to historical processes. However, it has proved easier to make broad claims that `history matters' than to theorise with any depth about the appropriate role for history in economic analysis. Historical Analysis in Economics considers what history can contribute to the science of economics: how would it matter if `history mattered?'

The contributions for over 80 years by scientists at the Pacific Northwest Research Station to developments in economic theory, economic tools, policies, and economic issues are summarized. This is a story of progressive accomplishments set against a constantly changing background of economic and social events.