The Economics Book

334

JEAN-BAPTISTE COLBERT

1619–1683

Although born into a family of
merchants in Rheims, France, Jean-
Baptiste Colbert chose a career in
politics rather than commerce. He
rose to become Finance Minister to
Louis XIV in 1665, and brought in
measures to end political corruption.
He also reformed the tax system,
introduced policies to boost French
industry and encourage overseas
trade, and instituted improvements
to the French infrastructure.
See also: The tax burden 64–65

PIERRE DE BOISGUILBERT

1646–1714

A French aristocrat, Pierre Le
Pesant, sieur de Boisguilbert,
pursued a career in law. He was a
magistrate, then judge, and in 1690
became the bailie—the King’s
representative in charge of
administration and justice for the
city of Rouen, a post he held until
his death in 1714. Seeing the effect
of tax on the local economy, he

HENRI DE SAINT-SIMON

1760–1825

Claude Henri de Rouvroy was born

into a noble family in Paris, France,

but rejected his rightful title of

comte because he advocated a form

of socialism. His views were

influenced by seeing the new

society created in the US after the

American Revolution. He argued that

poverty could be eliminated through

cooperation and technological

innovation, and that education

would remove the greed that drove

people to seek social privilege and

exploit others. His work influenced

socialist thinkers of the 19th

century, notably Karl Marx (p.105).

See also: Marxist economics

10 0 – 05

FRIEDRICH LIST

1789–1846

Friedrich List started his career

as a civil servant in his hometown

of Reutlingen, Germany, and rose

quickly to high office. However,

in 1822 he was imprisoned for his

DIRECTORY

T

his book examines some of the most important ideas in economic

thought, from its earliest beginnings to the evolution of political

economy and the wide-ranging subject as we know it today. In

doing so it inevitably looks at the ideas and achievements of major

economists such as Adam Smith, John Maynard Keynes, and Friedrich

Hayek. However, there are, of course, many other economists who have

made important contributions, often in more than one area of study, and

who deserve more than a passing mention. The thinkers discussed in the

following pages have all played a part in establishing economics as a vital

subject in modern industrial society, making sense of complexity, and

expanding our understanding of economic activity in the world today.

opposed the tax system introduced

by Jean-Baptiste Colbert. He

believed that production and trade

generated wealth, and proposed

a reform of taxes to encourage

freer trade.

See also: The tax burden 64–65

YAMAGATA BANTO

1748–1821

One of the most respected scholars

of the city of Osaka, Japan, Yamagata

Banto was also a money-exchange

merchant. Along with others in

the Kaitokudo School of Osaka,

he introduced Western ideas of

rationalism to Japanese institutions,

helping to end Japan’s feudal

society, which had until then been

built on Confucian ideas. Banto’s

multi-volume Yume no shiro

(“Instead of Dreams”) was critical

of the old system, which he saw as

dominated by the “age of gods,”

and proposed a rational, scientific

approach to the social, political, and

economic structure of modern Japan,

founded on industry and trade.

See also: Comparative advantage

80–85