The Other Canon of Economics, Volume 1 : Essays in the Theory and History of Uneven Economic Development

Other Canon Economics: Essays in the Theory and History of Uneven Economic Development brings together key essays on development economics from one of the most prolific and important development economists and historians of economic policy today. Erik S Reinert argues through essays ranging from 1994 to 2020 that neo-classical economics damages developing countries: the theory of comparative advantage leaves out a number of factors which make economic activities qualitatively different as carriers of economic growth. Based on a long intellectual tradition – started by the Italian economists Giovanni Botero (1589) and Antonio Serra (1613) and later used in virtually all presently industrialised countries – Reinert shows that the country which exports increasing returns goods – e.g. high-end manufacture and advanced services – has advantages over the country which exports diminishing returns goods – i.e. commodities. This has very important implications for today’s development strategies that, Reinert argues, should be seen as variations of industrial strategies.