The Making of the Classical Theory of Economic Growth Routledge Studies in the History of Economics Series

This book collects together for the first time Anthony Brewer's work on the origins and development of the theory of economic growth from its eighteenth-century beginnings to its dominance in economic thinking in the nineteenth century. The key to the origins of the theory is that writers before Turgot and Smith, though they laid the foundations for later work, had no concept of continuing growth.

This book looks at many of the key players such as Smith, Hume, Ferguson, Steuart, Turgot, West and Rae and is tied together with a rigorous introduction and a new chapter on capital accumul

Part 1: The Invention of Economic Growth 1. Introduction2. The Concept of Growth in Eighteenth Century Economics Part 2: The Scottish Tradition from Hume to Smith 3. An Eighteenth Century View of Economic Development: Hume and Steuart4. Luxury and Economic Development: David Hume and Adam Smith5. Adam Ferguson, Adam Smith, and the Concept of Economic Growth Part 3: Accumulation and Growth: Turgot and Smith 6. Turgot, Founder of Classical Economics7. Turgot, Smith, and Capital Accumulation Part 4: Growth, Saving and Distribution 8. Adam Smith on Classes and Saving9. Rent and Profit in the Wealth of Nations10. Edward West and the Classical Theory of Distribution and Growth Part 5: Epilogue: John Rae and Technical Change 11. Economic Growth and Technical Change: John Rae's Critique of Adam Smith12. Invention

Professor Anthony Brewer taught economics at the University of Bristol from 1967 onwards, with spells as an academic visitor at Duke University, Chuo University, and elsewhere. He is now retired, but still active in the subject, with the title of Emeritus Professor of the History of Economics. He has been Secretary and Vice-President of the European Society for the History of Economic Thought.