Joseph A. Schumpeter: Historian of Economics PDF Download

Author: Laurence S. Moss
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134785291
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 253

View

Book Description
Joseph A. Schumpeter was one of the great economists of the twentieth century. His History of Economic Analsyis is perhaps the greatest contribution to the history of economics, providing a magisterial account of the development of the subject from Ancient Greece to the mid-twentieth century. Schumpeter's views on his predecessors have proved to be

Author: Thomas K. McCraw
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674736966
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 734

View

Book Description
Pan Am, Gimbel’s, Pullman, Douglas Aircraft, Digital Equipment Corporation, British Leyland—all once as strong as dinosaurs, all now just as extinct. Destruction of businesses, fortunes, products, and careers is the price of progress toward a better material life. No one understood this bedrock economic principle better than Joseph A. Schumpeter. “Creative destruction,” he said, is the driving force of capitalism. Described by John Kenneth Galbraith as “the most sophisticated conservative” of the twentieth century, Schumpeter made his mark as the prophet of incessant change. His vision was stark: Nearly all businesses fail, victims of innovation by their competitors. Businesspeople ignore this lesson at their peril—to survive, they must be entrepreneurial and think strategically. Yet in Schumpeter’s view, the general prosperity produced by the “capitalist engine” far outweighs the wreckage it leaves behind. During a tumultuous life spanning two world wars, the Great Depression, and the early Cold War, Schumpeter reinvented himself many times. From boy wonder in turn-of-the-century Vienna to captivating Harvard professor, he was stalked by tragedy and haunted by the specter of his rival, John Maynard Keynes. By 1983—the centennial of the birth of both men—Forbes christened Schumpeter, not Keynes, the best navigator through the turbulent seas of globalization. Time has proved that assessment accurate. Prophet of Innovation is also the private story of a man rescued repeatedly by women who loved him and put his well-being above their own. Without them, he would likely have perished, so fierce were the conflicts between his reason and his emotions. Drawing on all of Schumpeter’s writings, including many intimate diaries and letters never before used, this biography paints the full portrait of a magnetic figure who aspired to become the world’s greatest economist, lover, and horseman—and admitted to failure only with the horses.

Author: Joseph A. Schumpeter
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 9780691003832
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 508

View

Book Description
Joseph Schumpeter remains a highly enigmatic theorist in the history of modern economics. His contributions, however, sought unity among theoretical economics, economic sociology, history, and statistics during a time when emphasis on such matters has been decidedly losing ground within the academic profession on both sides of the Atlantic. This anthology is a timely response to the reigning orthodoxy, expecially in view of renewed interest in political economy since the 1970s. It is a superb collection of Schumpeter's essays, some of which are printed in their entirety for the first time, such as "An Economic Interpretation of Our Time," an unpublished essay which was delivered as a Lowell Lecture in 1941. The informative introduction covers the intellectual as well as personal dimensions of Schumpeter, both during his formative European period and in his fully developed but somewhat unhappy American years. ISBN 0-691-04253-5: $50.00.

Author: Joseph A. Schumpeter
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1351478923
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 410

View

Book Description
Joseph A. Schumpeter was a monumental figure in the history and development of economics. This work brings together his brilliant lectures, delivered more than a century ago, in its first English-language paperback edition. Here, readers will discover Schumpeter's search for an economic science devoid of moral or political dogma. The Nature and Essence of Economic Theory works out what people should think of pure economics, what its nature is, what its methods and findings are, and where thought takes off from there. The book shows the limitations and weaknesses of nineteenth-century economics and how the field could be and was improved by establishing a fundamental differentiation between 'statistics' and 'dynamics'. To convey his arguments, Schumpeter uses certain axioms that form a consistent, self-contained system and show how sound economic science is based on facts and events rather than presuppositions or definitions. Schumpeter's larger aim, beyond a pedagogic tool, was to deduce changes in the market, trade, and exchange of goods and services. He defined the task of economy as the description of the system and its change tendencies. If that can be achieved unequivocally, without resorting to doctrine or dogma, then the field can be considered self-contained.

Author: Joseph A. Schumpeter
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

View

Book Description
Explores the relation between a socialist view of society and the democratic method of government; argues that socialism is probably inevitable, for political rather than economic reasons. The book developes five principal themes, presented in five parts. Part I, "The Marxian Doctrine," attests to Schumpeter's belief in the importance of Karl Marx's thought, and discusses Marx in the roles of prophet, sociologist, economist, and teacher. His strength lay in synthesis of history, economics, and politics into a vision and system (which Schumpeter admires) that that can be used for solving problems and contributing to knowledge and insight; the value of Marx's theories and conclusions are found wanting. Part II "Can Capitalism Survive?" shows that a socialist form of society will inevitably emerge from the inevitable decomposition of capitalist society. Essential to capitalism is the process of "creative destruction," which constantly revolutionizes the system from within; this revolutionary transformation of capitalism, which spells its doom, results from its success--not, as Marx argued, from its failure. In Schumpeter's view of capitalism, monopolistic policies promote stability and increase efficiency; unemployment and business cycles accompany economic growth; and without political interference, output would increase and standard of living increase. The entrepreneurial function, which revolutionizes production by exploiting innovation, becomes routine and obsolete due to technical development and rise of big firms; the entrepreneur becomes a bureaucrat. Without innovating enterprise, profit will vanish or become unimportant. Capitalism's success undermines the social conditions that protect it. Capitalism will not survive because public opinion will not support it: the bourgeoisie is not equipped for politics; corporate evolution and decline of the family have reduced the bourgeois sense of property and incentives; destruction of monarchy and aristocracy have deprived the bourgeois of its protectors; and disenchanted intellectuals inflame discontent with free enterprise. Establishment of socialism can be expected. Part III, "Can Socialism Work?" answers, "Of course it can." Socialism for Schumpeter is centralized control over the means of production. Necessary for the success of socialism is reaching the requisite stage of industrial development and resolution of transitional problems. The assessment of a socialist society should be based less on economic efficiency than on the quality of the bureaucratic apparatus operating the system. Socialism may likely be as successful in satisfying consumers, promoting economic progress, and enforcing discipline and efficiency. Part IV, "Socialism and Democracy" argues one can have autocratic, theocratic, or democratic socialism. Socialism's economic problem should only be discussed referring to the given state of the social environment and historical situation. Schumpeter alternatively defines democracy as people's selection of a government. Socialism may be democratic if certain conditions are met: politics must be culturally valued, range of political decisions must be fairly narrow, a well-trained bureaucracy exists, and the public exercises democratic self control. Part V, "Historical Sketch of Socialist Parties" analyzes the history of the most important socialist parties in England, Sweden, U.S., France, Germany, and Austria, emphasizing how they tried to live within the structure of a Marxist system and to remain alive and grow politically. Socialism, though, is likely to present fascist features. (TNM).

Author: Wolfgang F. Stolper
Publisher: Princeton University Press
ISBN: 0691194491
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 421

View

Book Description
In this major scholarly study of the life of Joseph A. Schumpeter, one of the great intellectual figures of the twentieth century, the distinguished economist Wolfgang Stolper delves into the mind of his former teacher, exploring the development of his ideas and, especially, their influence on politics and public policy. After reflecting briefly on Schumpeter the man, Stolper explains the evolution of Schumpeter's work, particularly his insights during the 1920s on public finance, his contributions to monetary theory and the study of business cycles, and his writings on socialism. Stolper goes on to desribe and evaluate Schumpeter's public activities following World War I and his role as a finance minister, placing the development of his thought in the turbulence political context of his times. Drawing on a vast array of new and exciting sources, Stolper paints a portrait of his mentor as a decent, ambitious, and complex man whose many insights into economy and society found their way outside of the academy and into the practical world of economic policy. All readers interested in the history of economic thought and twentieth-century political and intellectual history will find this book invaluable. Wolfgang Stolper is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Michigan. He is author of The Structure of the East German Economy and Planning Without Facts and has made seminal contributions to international economics. Originally published in 1994. The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Author: Yuichi Shionoya
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1848446160
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 297

View

Book Description
This collection of essays offers a fresh and challenging interpretation which departs from the received views of two giants among the greatest economists of all times. Distinguished scholars of Marshall and Schumpeter engage in a lively discussion of their work and convincingly argue that, despite their differences, they shared a common drive towards a broader type of social science beyond economics. It is an intriguing account that will not fail to attract and fascinate the majority of readers. Maria Cristina Marcuzzo, Università di Roma, Italy Ever since the development of the theory of biological evolution in the middle of the nineteenth century, evolutionary doctrine has posed challenges to economics. These came directly from the work of Darwin and Huxley and indirectly through economic history and the juxtaposition of dynamics with comparative statics the approach widely adopted by economists by the end of the century. The eminent historians of economics, Yuichi Shionoya and Tamotsu Nishizawa, together with a distinguished team of specialists, have produced an important set of essays that examine the positions on evolution of Marshall and Schumpeter and the economists who surrounded them. This collection is a valuable contribution to the history of economics and is highly relevant to controversies that rage still in the economics discipline today. Craufurd Goodwin, Duke University, US Traditionally it was understood that while Marshall was the synthesizer of neoclassical economics, Schumpeter challenged the dynamic conception of the economy in place of the static structure of economics. While historians of economic thought rarely discuss the work of Alfred Marshall and Joseph Schumpeter jointly, the contributors to this book do exactly this from the perspective of evolutionary thought. This unique and original work contends that, despite the differences between Marshallian and Schumpeterian thinking, they both present formidable challenges to a broad type of social science beyond economics, particularly under the influence of the German historical school. In a departure from the received view on the nature of the works of Marshall and Schumpeter, the contributors explore their themes in terms of an evolutionary vision and method of evolution; social science and evolution; conceptions of evolution; and evolution and capitalism. This timely resource will provide a stimulus not only to Marshall and Schumpeter scholarship within the history of economic thought but also to the recent efforts of economists to explore a research field beyond mainstream equilibrium economics. It will therefore prove a fascinating read for academics, students and researchers of evolutionary and heterodox economics and historians of economic thought.

Author: Esben S. Andersen
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
ISBN: 9781403996275
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 272

View

Book Description
This book examines Schumpeter's dramatic theory of social and economic evolution as the pivot of his life and work, resolving apparent paradoxes and clarifying Schumpeter's challenges to economists and other social scientists.

Author: Joseph A. Schumpeter
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 0

View

Book Description
Schumpeter first reviews the basic economic concepts that describe the recurring economic processes of a commercially organized state in which private property, division of labor, and free competition prevail. These constitute what Schumpeter calls "the circular flow of economic life," such as consumption, factors and means of production, labor, value, prices, cost, exchange, money as a circulating medium, and exchange value of money. The principal focus of the book is advancing the idea that change (economic development) is the key to explaining the features of a modern economy. Schumpeter emphasizes that his work deals with economic dynamics or economic development, not with theories of equilibrium or "circular flow" of a static economy, which have formed the basis of traditional economics. Interest, profit, productive interest, and business fluctuations, capital, credit, and entrepreneurs can better be explained by reference to processes of development. A static economy would know no productive interest, which has its source in the profits that arise from the process of development (successful execution of new combinations). The principal changes in a dynamic economy are due to technical innovations in the production process. Schumpeter elaborates on the role of credit in economic development; credit expansion affects the distribution of income and capital formation. Bank credit detaches productive resources from their place in circular flow to new productive combinations and innovations. Capitalism inherently depends upon economic progress, development, innovation, and expansive activity, which would be suppressed by inflexible monetary policy. The essence of development consists in the introduction of innovations into the system of production. This period of incorporation or adsorption is a period of readjustment, which is the essence of depression. Both profits of booms and losses from depression are part of the process of development. There is a distinction between the processes of creating a new productive apparatus and the process of merely operating it once it is created. Development is effected by the entrepreneur, who guides the diversion of the factors of production into new combinations for better use; by recasting the productive process, including the introduction of new machinery, and producing products at less expense, the entrepreneur creates a surplus, which he claims as profit. The entrepreneur requires capital, which is found in the money market, and for which the entrepreneur pays interest. The entrepreneur creates a model for others to follow, and the appearance of numerous new entrepreneurs causes depressions as the system struggles to achieve a new equilibrium. The entrepreneurial profit then vanishes in the vortex of competition; the stage is set for new combinations. Risk is not part of the entrepreneurial function; risk falls on the provider of capital. (TNM).

Author: Joseph A. Schumpeter
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1134838719
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 1309

View

Book Description
At the time of his death in 1950, Joseph Schumpeter was working on his monumental History of Economic Analysis. Unprecedented in scope, the book was to provide a complete history of economic theory from Ancient Greece to the end of the second world war. A major contribution to the history of ideas as well as to economics, History of Economic Analysis rapidly gained a reputation as a unique and classic work. As well being an economist, Schumpeter was a gifted mathematician, historian, philosopher and psychologist and this is reflected in the multi-disciplinary nature of his great endeavour. Topics addressed include the techniques of economic analysis, contemporaneous developments in other sciences and the sociology of economics. This inclusiveness extends to the periods and individuals who figure in the book. As well as dealing with all of the major economists from Adam Smith to Maynard Keynes, the book considers the economic writings of Plato and Aristotle, of the Medieval Scholastics and of the major European economists. Throughout, Schumpeter perceived economics as a human science and this is reflected in a volume which is lucid and insightful throughout.