A passionate and informed critique of mainstream economics from one of the leading economic thinkers of our time
This insightful book looks at how mainstream economics' quest for scientific certainty has led to a narrowing of vision and a convergence on an orthodoxy that is unhealthy for the field, not to mention the societies which base policy decisions on the advice of flawed economic models. Noted economic thinker Robert Skidelsky explains the circumstances that have brought about this constriction and proposes an approach to economics which includes philosophy, history, sociology, and politics.
Skidelsky's clearly written and compelling critique takes aim at the way that economics is taught in today's universities, where a focus on modelling leaves students ill-equipped to grapple with what is important and true about human life. He argues for a return to the ideal set out by John Maynard Keynes that the economist must be a "mathematician, historian, statesman, [and] philosopher" in equal measure.
1 of 1 copy available
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
March 1, 2020 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780300252767
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780300252767
- File size: 2234 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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August 7, 2020
Skidelsky (political economy, Warwick Univ.; Money and Government) offers an analysis and a critique of the teaching of mainstream economics as well as the studying of economists while stressing the importance of looking toward this discipline through an interdisciplinary framework that includes philosophy, history, sociology and politics. Skidelsky does not intend this work to be a textbook, although it refers to textbook material and is geared toward economic students, economists, and general readers "who wonder where economics is leading us." The material is based on lectures that the author delivered for the Institute of Economic Thinking and provides analyses about economics in the context of wants and means, economic growth, models and laws, economic psychology, sociology, the history of economic thought, philosophy, ethics, institutionalism, and the future of economics. Skidelsky provides insights into the works of John Maynard Keynes, Lionel Robbins, Alfred Marshall, Joan Robinson, Thorstein Veblen, Adam Smith, and David Ricardo among others. A bibliography is included. VERDICT This is an excellent overview of the field and a good starting point for students of economics. Highly recommended reading.--Lucy Heckman, St. John's Univ. Lib., Queens Village, NY
Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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