Economy · 4 minutes read
The study of economics is closely linked to the ideas and writings of great thinkers. From the 18th to the 20th century, many landmark books shaped modern economic theory and influenced policies across the world, including India. This post presents a list of important books on economy (1700–2000), arranged by schools of thought and authors, to help aspirants connect theories with their historical context.
Precursors
| Author | Books |
|---|---|
| Richard Cantillon | Essay on the Nature of Trade in General (1755; Eng. trans. 1931) |
| David Hume | Political Discourses (1752) |
| James Steuart | An Inquiry into the Principles of Political Oeconomy (1767) |
| A. R. J. Turgot | Reflections on the Formation and Distribution of Wealth (1770) |
Classical Political Economy
| Author | Books |
|---|---|
| Adam Smith | Wealth of Nations (1776) |
| Thomas Robert Malthus | 1) Essay on the Principle of Population (1798) 2) Principles of Political Economy (1820) |
| David Ricardo | Principles of Political Economy and Taxation (1817) |
| Jean-Baptiste Say | 1) Treatise on Political Economy (1803) 2) Treatise on Political Economy (Eng. trans. 1821) |
| Nassau Senior | Outline of the Science of Political Economy (1836) |
| Jean Charles Léonard Sismondi | New Principles of Political Economy (1819; Eng. trans. 1827) |
| John Stuart Mill | Principles of Political Economy (1848) |
| Karl Marx | Capital (1867) |
Marginalist & Neoclassical
| Author | Books |
|---|---|
| William Stanley Jevons | Theory of Political Economy (1871) |
| Carl Menger | Principles of Economics (1871; Eng. trans. 1950) |
| Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk | Capital and Interest (1884–1889; Eng. trans. 1890s) |
| Friedrich von Wieser | Natural Value (1889; Eng. trans. 1893) |
| Alfred Marshall | Principles of Economics (1890) |
| Francis Edgeworth | Mathematical Psychics (1881) |
| John Bates Clark | Distribution of Wealth (1899) |
| Vilfredo Pareto | Manual of Political Economy (1906; Eng. trans. 1971) |
| Knut Wicksell | Interest and Prices (1898; Eng. trans. 1936) |
| Irving Fisher | 1) Purchasing Power of Money (1911) 2) Theory of Interest (1930) |
| Arthur Pigou | Economics of Welfare (1920) |
Keynesian & Post-Keynesian
| Author | Books |
|---|---|
| John Maynard Keynes | 1) Economic Consequences of the Peace (1919) 2) General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money (1936) |
| Joan Robinson | Economics of Imperfect Competition (1933) |
| John Hicks | Value and Capital (1939) |
Monetarist & Neoliberal
| Author | Books |
|---|---|
| F. A. Hayek | 1) Prices and Production (1931) 2) Road to Serfdom (1944) |
| Milton Friedman | Capitalism and Freedom (1962) |
| Milton Friedman & Anna Schwartz | Monetary History of the United States (1963) |
Globalization, Institutions & Political Economy
| Author | Books |
|---|---|
| Lionel Robbins | History of Economic Thought (1998) |
| Gary Becker | 1) Human Capital (1964) 2) Economic Approach to Human Behavior (1976) |
| James Buchanan & Gordon Tullock | Calculus of Consent (1962) |
| Mancur Olson | 1) Logic of Collective Action (1965) 2) Rise and Decline of Nations (1982) |
| Douglass North | Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance (1990) |
| Oliver Williamson | Economic Institutions of Capitalism (1985) |
Development Economics & Poverty
| Author | Books |
|---|---|
| Ragnar Nurkse | Problems of Capital Formation in Underdeveloped Countries (1953) |
| W. Arthur Lewis | Theory of Economic Growth (1955) |
| Albert Hirschman | Strategy of Economic Development (1958) |
| Simon Kuznets | Modern Economic Growth (1966) |
| Gunnar Myrdal | Asian Drama (1968) |
| Amartya Sen | 1) Collective Choice and Social Welfare (1970) 2) Poverty and Famines (1981) 3) Development as Freedom (1999) |
| Jean Drèze & Amartya Sen | 1) Hunger and Public Action (1989) 2) India: Development and Participation (1995) |
| Mahbub ul Haq | Poverty Curtain (1976) |
| Michael Todaro | Economic Development (1977) |
| Robert Chambers | Rural Development: Putting the Last First (1983) |
Population, Resources & Environment
| Author | Books |
|---|---|
| William Vogt | Road to Survival (1948) |
| Paul Ehrlich | The Population Bomb (1968) |
| Julian Simon | Ultimate Resource (1981) |
| Barry Commoner | Closing Circle (1971) |
| Donella Meadows et al. | Limits to Growth (1972) |
| E. F. Schumacher | Small Is Beautiful (1973) |
| Herman Daly | Steady-State Economics (1977) |
| David Pearce, Anil Markandya & Edward Barbier | Blueprint for a Green Economy (1989) |
Indian Economic Thought
| Author | Books |
|---|---|
| Mahadev Govind Ranade | Essays on Indian Economics (1898) |
| Romesh Chunder Dutt | Economic History of India (1902) |
| Dadabhai Naoroji | Poverty and Un-British Rule in India (1901) |
| Radhakamal Mukerjee | Foundations of Indian Economics (1916) |
| D. R. Gadgil | Industrial Evolution of India in Recent Times (1924) |
| B. R. Ambedkar | Problem of the Rupee (1923) |
| Jawaharlal Nehru | Discovery of India (1946) |
| V. K. R. V. Rao | National Income of British India (1940) |
| V. T. Krishnamachari | Planning in India (1961) |
| C. N. Vakil & P. R. Brahmananda | Planning for an Expanding Economy (1956) |
| Amartya Sen | 1) Collective Choice and Social Welfare (1970) 2) Poverty and Famines (1981) 3) Development as Freedom (1999) |
| Jean Drèze & Amartya Sen | Hunger and Public Action (1989); India: Development and Participation (1995) |
Categories: Economy Notes
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