Routledge Studies in the History of Economics
About the Book Series
Economics continues to draw inspiration from the ideas of past economists. This series provides an arena for current debate in the study of the history of economics. Adhering to no single methodology, it includes volumes which explore the ideas of individual economists, major schools of thought, and the evolution of key ideas and theories within economic analysis.
Adam Smith’s Methodology: Imagination, Rhetoric, and Rene Descartes
1st Edition
By Jorge López Lloret
September 30, 2026
Most previous studies of Adam Smith’s methodology, with a few exceptions, have placed considerable emphasis on the undeniable influence of Newtonian physics and Humean empiricism. This book argues that other sources are at least as important: Smith’s own didactic rhetoric and the methodological ...
Spinoza, Metaphysics and Political Economy: Ethical Conduct, Social Control, and Public Policy
1st Edition
By Samuel Hollander
September 30, 2026
Spinoza is generally recognized as one of the most important philosophers of the early modern period; less well known are his observations regarding private ethical conduct, social control including state intervention in the market, and public policy including welfare. This book explores these ...
The Medieval Debate on Money and Interest: A Comparative Perspective on Ethics and Economics
1st Edition
By Guido Tortorella Esposito, Stefano Figuera
September 04, 2026
This book examines the medieval debate on the role of money and credit in the Islamic and Western Christian worlds. Starting from Aristotle's vision of the ethical and egalitarian use of wealth, fundamental to both Islamic and Christian thinkers, it highlights how the two visions of money and ...
The Revival of Classical Political Economy
1st Edition
Edited
By Heinz D. Kurz, Neri Salvadori, Richard Sturn
August 17, 2026
Recent years have seen renewed interest in classical political economy. The essays in this collection, presented in honour of Christian Gehrke, explore the central tenets of classical political economy, its comeback in the aftermath of Sraffa’s works and the engagement of major economists. The ...
Markets in the Evolution of Economics: Remaking the Mission of the Economist
1st Edition
By Rudi Verburg
July 07, 2026
In recent years, scholars from many disciplines have contributed to the literature on the ‘proper’ role of markets but they often overlook the contribution of many economists who have also called for a broader understanding of the market beyond pricing. This book explores the place of the market in...
Slavery and Colonialism in the History of Economic Thought: The Cases of France and Great Britain
1st Edition
By Simona Pisanelli
May 22, 2026
Atlantic slavery represents one of the blackest pages of human history. European powers not only colonised American lands but also brought African men and women to work as slaves on plantations. Intellectuals did not remain indifferent to this practice and – from the second half of the 18th century...
Markets in the History of Political Economy: Between Mechanism and Purpose
1st Edition
By Rudi Verburg
March 18, 2026
Most contemporary economists understand markets as purely price-making systems, ignoring the role of markets as relational systems that frame our way of life and determine the kind of society we live in. This book weaves both of these elements together to present a history of markets which accepts ...
Economic Ideas Across Borders: A History of German Influence on Turkish Economics
1st Edition
Edited
By Jakob Kapeller, M. Erdem Özgür
December 31, 2025
Exploring the cross-cultural exchange of ideas between German and Turkish scholars, policymakers, and institutions, this book sheds light on how German theories were interpreted and applied in Turkey during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Situating the flow of ideas within broader patterns ...
Environment and Ecology in the History of Economic Thought: Reassessing the Legacy of the Classics
1st Edition
Edited
By Vitor Eduardo Schincariol
December 26, 2025
This volume proposes a reconsideration of ecological and environmental aspects of the work and ideas of various heterodox authors and traditions in the history of economic thought, including the field of economic development. Many of the contributors to this book focus on thinkers and works which ...
Schumpeter’s General Theory of Capitalism
1st Edition
By Tristan Velardo
December 26, 2025
Joseph A. Schumpeter made multiple contributions to economic science and beyond. Drawing on this wide range of writings, this book argues that Schumpeter provided a theoretical account of capitalism as a total phenomenon. It methodically reconstructs the “general theory” of capitalism present in ...
The Economic Thought of Hilaire Belloc: A Christian Alternative to the Servile State
1st Edition
By Alfonso Díaz Vera
December 26, 2025
Hilaire Belloc’s thinking on the economy constitutes, by its originality and acuity, a heterodox approach of the greatest interest in addressing the economic problems of his time and those of our own. Belloc’s main interest as a writer were on economics and history, and his works were praised by ...
A History of Economic Thought at the Frankfurt Institute: Beyond the Critical Theory of the Frankfurt School, 1923-1945
1st Edition
By Ali Ahmad
December 19, 2025
The Frankfurt Institute continues to command the interest of a wide range of scholars working in history, philosophy, sociology, and political science. Yet, the prevailing narrative about the Institute overlooks a crucial component of its history: the economic theories developed by its lesser-known...