Classics of Political Economy

Catalog description

This course focuses on the origins and development of political economy as a modern scientific discourse about society. It aims to uncover and question the normative commitments, theoretical assumptions, and arguments made by the thinkers who came to consider themselves 'economists.' We will examine the evolution of major concepts of economic thought —commerce, luxury, market, interest, value, price, property, labor—in their relation to social and political thought. We will retrace the development of liberalism, capitalism, socialism and regulation theory. Readings include Colbert, Mandeville, Hume, Quesnay, Smith, Sismondi, Ricardo, Marx, Luxemburg, Keynes, DuBois, Schumpeter, Piketty.