First Published in 2004. Studies in Applied Economics is an English translation of Études d’économie politique appliquée (1898) by Léon Walras (1834–1910). Until now, Éléments d’économie politique pure (1874) was the only book by Walras available in English (Elements of Pure Economics, 1954). It contains the theory of general economic equilibrium under free competition, with the concept of utility maximization as its core. Walras’s conclusion was that where free competition is possible, it should be the rule. So, in the present book, he advocates protective regulation, within which economic agents may compete freely. For water, gas or railway transport, for instance, where free competition is impossible, rules are formulated to maintain its advantages. Issues such as money, capital, credit, banking and the stock markets are also dealt with. The book’s final chapter recapitulates the themes of Walras’s three main works: Éléments, Études d’économie sociale and this volume, Études d’économie politique appliquée. Walras’s aim was to provide an economic blueprint for a social ideal where poverty and similar evils could be banished.

The existing literature on Walras has focused on his Elements of Pure Economics to an extent which has unbalanced our view of his work. Jan van Daal and Albert Jolink pay very careful attention to Walras' general equilibrium models, tracing their development through the five editions of his Elements. But they also place his equilibrium exercises in

This book investigates the tensions between subjectivism and objectivism in the history of economics. The book looks at the works of Adam Smith, Carl Menger, Leon Walras, William Stanley Jevons, Oskar Morgenstern, Ludwig Mises, Piero Sraffa, and so on. The book highlights the diverse subjective and objective elements of their economic theories and suggests a reframing of methodology to better address the core problems of the theories. Contributors of the volume are leading members of the Japan Society of History of Economic Thought who have provided a comprehensive overview on the economics methodology and the related problems. Hence, this book will be of an invaluable asset to not only those who are interested in the history of economic thought, but also to scholars who are concerned with the methodological problems of economic science.

This reader in the history of economic thought challenges the assumption that today’s prevailing economic theories are always the most appropriate ones. As Leland Yeager has pointed out, unlike the scientists of the natural sciences, economists provide their ideas largely to politicians and political appointees who have rather different incentives that might prevent them from choosing the best economic theory. In this book, the life and work of each of the founders of economics is examined by the best available expert on that founding figure. These contributors present rather novel and certainly not mainstream interpretations of the founders of modern economics. The primary theme concerns the development of economic thought as this emerged in the various continental traditions including the Islamic tradition. These continental traditions differed substantially, both substantively and methodologically, from the Anglo-Saxon orientation that has been dominant in the last century for example in the study of public finance or the very construct of the state itself. This books maps the various channels of continental economics, particularly from the late-18th through the early-20th centuries, explaining and demonstrating the underlying unity amid the surface diversity. In particular, the book emphasizes the writings of John Stuart Mill, his predecessor David Ricardo and his follower Jeremy Bentham; the theory of Marginalism by von Thünen, Cournot, and Gossen; the legacy of Karl Marx; the innovations in developmental economics by Friedrich List; the economic and monetary contributions and “struggle of escape” by John Maynard Keynes; the formidable theory in public finance and economics by Joseph Schumpeter; a reinterpretation of Alfred Marshall; Léon Walras, Heinrich von Stackelberg, Knut Wicksell, Werner Sombart, and Friedrich August von Hayek are each dealt with in their own right.

In this thought-provoking collection, ten international scholars offer reflections and new interpretations of Walras’ and Pareto’s unique contributions to topics including the importance of the social sciences, the development of modern microeconomics and econometrics, political economy and public choice, and political sociology. Their insights will interest researchers and scholars of economic history, political sociology, and the social sciences.

This book sheds new light on the general equilibrium theory of Léon Walras (1834–1910) from a historical perspective. Walras's construction of general equilibrium theory marked the dawn of modern economics, and the theory was greatly developed in the 20th century. However, Walras's own intentions and ideas behind the theory are still not fully understood. This book aims to clarify the intellectual background of Walras’s economics by delving into his original writings, which have not received much attention until now. Part 1 of the book reconsiders the relationship between Walras and his predecessors, Adam Smith (1723–1790), Jean-Baptiste Say (1767–1832), and Achylle Nicolas Isnard (1749–1803), who are believed to have had a decisive influence on Walras's general equilibrium theory. In Part 2, the book explores Walras's views on the labor market, entrepreneurship, and non-selfish human nature, including concepts like sympathy, which have been overlooked in his general equilibrium theory and subsequently misunderstood to this day. Walras’s economic thought is one of the foundational sources of modern economics. An accurate and in-depth understanding of it will provide a new perspective on the problems faced by modern economics and open future possibilities for economics as a social science. This book offers new insights not only to researchers and students of the history of economics but also to all those interested in the origins of modern economics.