Walter Eltis – författare

This 1996 edition of Britain's Economic Problem opens with a substantial new chapter, 'Bacon and Eltis after 20 Years', in which the authors assess the impact of the policies of successive Conservative governments to bring British public expenditure under control. They also develop their theory and apply it to Sweden which has experienced the greatest increase in public expenditure of any European economy. This edition includes a complete reprint of the 1978 second edition of Britain's Economic Problem: Too Few Producers which Harry G. Johnson described as 'interesting, both for its explanation of 'the British disease' and for the economic-theoretical foundations on which its analysis is based'.The original book provided a new explanation of the decline of the British economy which showed how a growing shift of Britain's resources from the production of goods and services which can be marketed at home and overseas to the provision of unmarketed public services simultaneously:- reduced the rate of growth and weakened the balance of payments- reduced investment and the economy's ability to provide productive jobs- fuelled the accelerating inflation and obstructive trade union behaviour from which Britain suffered.

This book is concerned with the theory of economic growth and its relevance to policy for growth in developed economies. The various factors hwich determine the potential growth rate of a developed economy, and the problems involved in actually realising it, are analysed. The author also dicusses how growth and a satisfactory balance of payments may be achieved together.

This book is concerned with the theory of economic growth and its relevance to policy for growth in developed economies. The various factors hwich determine the potential growth rate of a developed economy, and the problems involved in actually realising it, are analysed. The author also dicusses how growth and a satisfactory balance of payments may be achieved together.

Walter Eltis's work has played a major role in the rediscovery of the policy relevance of classical economics. His articles on Smith, Quesnay, Ricardo and Malthus, where he derives their underlying economic argument from a detailed examination of their principal publications, led to the Bacon and Eltis theory which challenged Keynesian orthodoxy. It showed how growing public expenditure and increasing public debt reduce economic growth and destabilize modern economies. This volume includes a carefully chosen selection of his key articles and papers, as well as an extensive introductory essay which provides an account of the evolution of his ideas and their impact on economic policy.

This book is the first English language edition of Le Commerce et le Gouvernement by the distinguished eighteenth century economist and philosopher Condillac. It was one of the most original contributions to French economics in the eighteenth century. In this edition the editors provide an English translation of the original and a comprehensive account of Condillac's life and contribution to economics. In the late eighteenth century Condillac used the clarity and precision of thought of a leading philosopher to derive a fundamental set of economic principles and their implications for policy. He arrived at the same free trade conclusions as Adam Smith, and Le Commerce et le Gouvernement was published in the same year as The Wealth of Nations. Condillac's economics was initially condemned by the physiocrats because in his utility-based analysis, industry and commerce and not just agriculture contributed to the wealth of France. The original French edition was quickly dismissed by those in positions of power in France who preferred dirigism to competition, while across the Channel the British were unaware of its existence. The importance of Condillac's contribution to economics was recognised after the marginal revolution of the 1870's. In the eighteenth century Condillac won the respect of Voltaire and Rousseau, and the high regard of the King and the Church. His work has since been admired by Allais, Hayek, Menger and Weulersse, while Jevons believed that it provided the first distinct statement of the true connection between value and utility. Commerce and Government will be of special interest to historians of economic thought and those interested in the economic history of the eighteenth century.