Policy Press

Economic theory & philosophy

Showing 1-6 of 6 items.

Ricardo’s Dream

How Economists Forgot the Real World and Led Us Astray

Ricardo’s Dream tells the fascinating story of David Ricardo, Adam Smith’s only real rival as the ‘founder of economics’: who introduced the study of abstract models to economics. He also developed the theory of trade that underpinned globalization and hides a history of power, empire and slavery.

Bristol Uni Press

Inside Thatcher’s Monetarism Experiment

The Promise, the Failure, the Legacy

In 1979, Margaret Thatcher’s new government pursued a monetarist economic policy in response to double-digit inflation, rising unemployment and flatlining economic growth. Tim Lankester's insider’s account offers fascinating insights into one of Britain's most unsuccessful economic episodes and also examines monetarism's legacy today.

Policy Press

A Realist Philosophy of Economics

EPUB and EPDF available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence.

With contributions from Alan Kirman and Rod O'Donnell, Karl Mittermaier's posthumously published work establishes a conceptual framework that will help economic theorists explore new paths of empirical analysis.

Bristol Uni Press

The Hand Behind the Invisible Hand

Dogmatic and Pragmatic Views on Free Markets and the State of Economic Theory

Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND

Using Adam Smith’s notion of an 'invisible hand', this extraordinary contribution identifies dogmatic versus pragmatic views of free markets.

Published posthumously with new contributions, this book outlines Mittermaier’s main thesis and its relevance for ongoing debates within economics and philosophy.

Bristol Uni Press

The Sociology of Debt

Key thinkers with a range of perspectives provide a sociological analysis of debt focused upon its social, political, economic, and cultural meanings. Contributors consider the lived experience of debt and financialisation taking place globally with accounts that span sociological, cultural, and economic forms of analysis.

Policy Press

From Greed to Wellbeing

A Buddhist Approach to Resolving Our Economic and Financial Crises

The global financial system seems caught in a cycle of boom and bust, instability and scandal. Building on the classic works of E F Schumacher and other kindred spirits, Magnuson provides a Buddhist economics perspective on this recurring pattern and offers new possibilities for change.

Policy Press