Macquarie University

Evolution of Economic Ideas - ECON356

Why is economics the way it is? How are modern approaches to analysis related to past contributions? Has there been progress in economics, and how would we know? What is the place of the history of economic thought in the history of ideas more generally? The answer to these and many other fascinating questions are the focus of this unit. The history of economic thought is considered from a non-standard but enlightening perspective: rather than trace through the chronology of authors and schools we examine the evolution of theories and theoretical ideas from their origins (which in some cases stretch back to Greek philosophy) right through to their modern forms. This puts the economics you have already learned into context and allows for a greater appreciation of the historical, social and philosophical influences on the development of economic thought. Examples of the areas covered include the theory of value, the theory of distribution, the theory of growth, and the theory of cycles and fluctuations.