The Intelligent Radicals Guide To Economic Policy

First published in 1975, this guide to economic policy outlines an economic philosophy for reform for the ‘intelligent radical’ who seeks to address the issues of liberty and equality within society. Among other issues, the book looks at policies to control inflation, to maintain full employment, to set prices and wages, to distribute income and property, and to manage the environment and international trade. Professor Meade expounds in simple language a set of closely interrelated policies designed to enable us to achieve what he describes as ‘ the decent, free, prosperous society which modern science has undoubtedly brought within our grasp.

First published in 1975, this guide to economic policy outlines an economic philosophy for reform for the e~intelligent radicale(tm) who seeks to address the issues of liberty and equality within society. Among other issues, the book looks at policies to control inflation, to maintain full employment, to set prices and wages, to distribute income and property, and to manage the environment and international trade. Professor Meade expounds in simple language a set of closely interrelated policies designed to enable us to achieve what he describes as e~ the decent, free, prosperous society which modern science has undoubtedly brought within our grasp.

This volume contains classic essays on economic policy written by one of its great exponents. The opening essay traces the author's evolving structures of thought about economics and the policy proposals that came from them over this period. Section 2 contains essays which set the background to the policy recommendations. In section 3 the role of investment incentives is analysed. Section 4 is concerned with the influence of accounting conventions on private decision-making and government policy in both capitalist and planned economies. Section 5 contains a number of package deals, all designed to fit within the constraint of the philosophy of governments in power. The last section, general essays, ranges from a scheme for the payment of prisoners to the celebration of the views on policy of great economists, from Colin Clark, through Nicky Kaldor to John Cornwall.

This book examines British socialist political economies and the way in which they have influenced economic thinking within the Labour Party from the Fabianism at the beginning of the century to the Blairism of today.