1st Edition

Knut Wicksell on the Causes of Poverty and its Remedy

By Mats Lundahl Copyright 2005
    144 Pages 4 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    140 Pages 4 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Knut Wicksell is arguably the greatest Swedish social scientist of all time, and poverty was a theme that occupied him all his life. Indeed, it was probably Wicksell's interest in poverty that was the critical factor in drawing him away from his purely mathematical background towards a greater understanding of the social sciences as a whole.

    In this outstanding volume, Mats Lundahl, one of the world's leading development economists, examines Wicksell's thinking in the area of poverty, and shows the importance of his contributions to this field.

    1. Introduction  2. Tumultuous Beginnings: The Cause of Poverty and Its Remedy  3. The Causes of Population Growth: The French Prize Essay  4. The Centrepiece of Wicksell's Theory: Diminishing Returns  5. Overpopulation, Specialization and Trade  6. Emigration: A Solution of the Past  7. The Optimum Population  8. Wicksell's Views: A Summary Interpretation  9. Why Was Wicksell Accused of Lack of Originality?

    Biography

    Mats Lundahl is Professor at the Stockholm School of Economics

    '...his style and sense for amusing details make the reading a great pleasure.'

    Bo Sandelin, History of Economic Ideas, 2006